No matter how much I try,

I can't escape the past,

The memories that haunt me,

And the shadows that last.


I try to move forward,

But something holds me back,

The weight of my mistakes,

Like a burden on my back.


The things I've said and done,

Haunt my every thought,

The apologies I've made,

Seem to come to naught.


The people I've hurt,

The pain that I've caused,

Their faces linger in my mind,

Their voices never lost.


No matter how much I try,

To make things right again,

The scars I've left behind,

Are etched into their skin.


I wish I could undo,

The things that I regret,

But life is not that simple,

And forgiveness not a sure bet.


So I live with my mistakes,

And try to make amends,

With every step I take,

Hoping for a chance to mend.


No matter how much I try,

I know I can't change the past,

But I can learn from my mistakes,

And make today my last.


For every moment is a gift,

And every breath a chance to try,

To be better than before,

And to never let the past define.


No matter how much I try,

To forget the things I've done,

I know that I must face them,

And in doing so, move on.


For the future is yet unwritten,

And the past a fading ghost,

We are the authors of our story,

And the choices we make, our boast.


So I'll take each moment as it comes,

And do the best I can,

For the greatest gift of all,

Is to be a better man.