Regrets

Words by Cadence Chung (she/they) 

I should have looked at the Turners for hours
instead of a polite few minutes, eaten alive by
all that burnished light. I should have abstained
from coffee. I should have abstained from all worldly
pleasures and remained a Romantic little virgin,
nothing but my own lips to bite. I should have
loved more and always more but there's only so many
love letters a girl can take — until they're peeling from
between your fingers, paper-pulp ruins. I should have
polished my shoes so they didn't squeak. I should
have kissed her, one last time, before I left.