Opportunity

1

Window

2

3

4

Windows

5

6

7

Plural

10

11

20

More

30

50

100

and more

1000

1000000

infinite

all closed

I watched 

from a comfortable distance

as they're locked,

bolted shut

with keys

that I once wore around my neck

that are now being weighed down

with immoveable boulders,

unsuccessfully trying to drown

at the bottom of the ocean,

slowly rusting away

from the waves of what could have been

those keys

the only ones that could open those windows

those windows

that

were once wide open,

wide enough for a life.

a city

a willow tree

a piano

a flashlight

a pencil

a breath of air

never mind.

those windows were once wide open

and now they're not.

now they're not.

I saw...

I knew when 

they were closing 

and was but a hop, skip, and a jump away

from each one

and yet

I did absolutely nothing

all I had to do 

was look through

the windowless panes

but I was too afraid, 

too much of a coward 

of what I might see,

so I merely watched.

Watched

as they were closed and bolted

and 

Watched

how they shattered afterwards.

each and every one

had shattered.

Shattered

not into shards

not into sand

but

to dust

Dust 

that began to cover

every inch

of the violin in the corner of the room

of every unread, shelved novel 

of every untouched sketchbook

of the toys in the disassemble playroom

10

of every "Hello" left unsaid

9

of every argument left not resolved

8

of every insult left lingering

7

of every friend left alone and pushed aside

6

of every emotion left ignored

5 

of every confesstion left unsaid

4

of every apology left on the tip of the tongue

3 

now

all that is left

2

is regret

1

I'm sorry.

0

windows 

left