41 Comments
User's avatar
Nabanita's avatar

Lovely poem. If I had a chance to rewrite the past, I would love more deeply, not be afraid to lose and trust the universe more. Gary your poem really brings home the lasting impacts of addiction. Love your honesty.

Odel Asseille's avatar

Thank you Nabanita !

With Love ❤️

Gary L Taylor's avatar

Thank you so much for reading, and sharing what you would do from that starting over position. It's been nice to hear other people's responses to the piece.

Thank you for sharing that and for the kind words.

Nabanita's avatar

I also appreciate your kind comments about the loss of my pet. My heart is in pieces.

Gary L Taylor's avatar

It's incredibly hard and I send you strength and my sympathy after your loss.

Hina Gondal's avatar

Beautifully written ❤️

Gary L Taylor's avatar

Thanks so much Hina, greatly appreciated.

Odel Asseille's avatar

Thank you 😊 Gary’s great 👍

Darryl Wade Anderson's avatar

What would I do different indeed, and would it truly lead me in a different direction, or would it be a path to where I am today? Were the key points in my life that lead to the changes in myself beyond my control or by choices I have made. This poem is wonderful, and I could feel myself in it, which I think is the sign of great work.

Gary L Taylor's avatar

Thanks so much for reading and for those comments, looking at it from your point of view. It's an interesting thing to take on and look at and Odel's frame to set up the reflective poem really forced me to think and look at myself a bit before responding.

Thanks again for those kind words.

Darryl Wade Anderson's avatar

Thank you for sharing, Gary. I just responded, you are the one that laid it bare.

Odel Asseille's avatar

Thank you for reading it, Darryl, and for sharing your thoughts. @Gary L Taylor’s work is awesome, for sure.

Darryl Wade Anderson's avatar

Yes it is Odel. Let me see your favorite work of your own?

Odel Asseille's avatar

I can’t say, I have a favorite cause I love all of them. But this is the latest one I shared in here

https://danoaslumen.substack.com/p/laments-to-my-heart?r=57v9sj&utm_medium=ios

Darryl Wade Anderson's avatar

That was truly wonderful, and heart wrenching, but beautiful.

Odel Asseille's avatar

Thank you 😊 greatly appreciated

Btw I shared a poem of my own every Wednesday

Darryl Wade Anderson's avatar

I can’t shut up. I share a serial story on Sat and Sun, starting soon on Tues, and on the other days I share short stories, novellas, or poems. I did post a poem tonight.

Crystal Cunningham's avatar

I would not have bought so much shit and kept a nest egg to run away when necessary.

Odel Asseille's avatar

Thank you for reading and and sharing how you'd approach it, Crystal.

Mark Williams's avatar

Very nice. It’s a really big / hard question to answer. What would I change / do differently? Well yeah there are things that I wish I hadn’t done, said and so on. But also… in the round, I’m happy in my skin. I’ve reached retirement and am content. Whether I’ll be content in 5/10/15 years, hopefully more, I don’t know. But whilst the past is helpful, at the end of the day… I’m not going that way. So I think I’d change nada. But I have and probably will do things differently in my future partly based on how maybe I’d done something related before.

Odel Asseille's avatar

Thanks for reading and share your thoughts. The goal is to be happy, right? As long as you are at the end, that's all that matters

Gary L Taylor's avatar

It is a hard question to answer, and I found it one that needed a bit of thought before I created the response.

Thanks very much for reading and providing your take via your comments. Greatly appreciated.

Sattie R's avatar

I would have focused on myself more. My growth, learning, recognizing what is safe and healthy in relationships and listening to my gut more. It would have saved me sooner. The lessons I was meant to learn would have been learned sooner.

Odel Asseille's avatar

Thank you, Sattie !

Even though it was hard, now you can be proud of surviving that. For now if you're gonna restart a new one, you are that version of yourself that you weren't then 😊

Gary L Taylor's avatar

Many thanks for reading and for sharing that. Greatly appreciated.

Libra's avatar

I didn’t give my needs any space or importance

Libra's avatar
4dEdited

In my previous relationship, I would listen to the red flags, acknowledge them, and I would have determined what was important to me earlier. I neglected my needs. I never even thought of them.

Gary L Taylor's avatar

Many thanks for reading and for sharing how you would approach it if starting over in this way. Greatly appreciated.

Libra's avatar

I’d love to ask this question about my previous relationship too …

Libra's avatar

Not scared…or judging myself..

Libra's avatar

Not hiding…

Libra's avatar

I would be more myself, social, friendlier, open with him…

Odel Asseille's avatar

Thank you Libra.

I can see that you've learn a lot from your past relationship. Thanks for reading and for sharing that with us. That would be a good way to do things, and I hope those are things you would apply from now on

Libra's avatar

Or regrets.

Libra's avatar

Love this. Maybe you could not. Addiction is not just consuming, it’s years of pain. Please be easy on yourself. But I Love the question. I think it helps us process, ever individual , their unspoken worries.

Libra's avatar

❤️

Libra's avatar

🇮🇳🪷🍛

Libra's avatar

🫶🏼

Hannah Torkelson's avatar

Fantastic collaboratio.. I am left pondering my own choices and regrets. Well done!