POETRY JAM - IF I WERE...

“Never regret anything you have done with a sincere affection; nothing is lost that is born of the heart.” - Basil Rathbone

Poetry Jam this week has as its theme the phrase “If I Were…”. My contribution below:

Second Chances

If I were to be born again,
I’d choose once more,
To suffer through the birth that almost robbed me of my life,
Even before my life began;
For all that passed, and I grew strong.

If I were to live another childhood,
I’d choose once more,
To live through my tortured years
Of pain and suffering;
For all that passed, and I grew resilient.

If I were to be young again,
I’d choose once more,
The same wretched adolescence
When days were long and nights sleepless;
For all that passed, and I grew wise.

If I were to fall in love again,
I’d choose once more,
To love you, and only you
Even if that caused me more woe than pleasure
And even if my heart still bears the scars
Of that bitter-sweet experience.

Yet if I were to love again,
I’d choose this time,
A calmer sentiment, not a burning passion,
A sweeter, more benign affection,
Whose long-lasting ardour gently warms, assuages
And whose tender care will make me age with delight.