What haunts us most
is not what we did,
but what we did not dare:
the words we swallowed,
the moments we let pass
while waiting to become braver.

Regret grows in the space
where courage hesitates,
nurtured by the notion
there will be more time,
more chances, another moment
to choose differently.

But moments rarely announce
they are leaving.
They drift beyond reach
and we are left
to account for the cost
of what we asked ourselves
to wait for.

Regret is not a punishment,
but a reminder to see the door
while it is still open,
to step forward,
to act, to speak, to listen,
to trust that what we give now
will be enough…

So that once the door closes,
it closes gently
on a life already at peace.

• Photo taken in Lacock Village, UK
• Written for the prompt: Thursday Doors