What Could Have Been

The weight of failure hangs heavy
On my tired, beaten shoulders.
I hesitate, unsure and unsteady,
Floundering in the face of loss.

I try to keep my head up high,
But sometimes it feels like the dome
Is crushing down upon me,
Mocking my efforts to succeed.

Through the haze of disappointment,
I see the ghosts of missed chances,
Remnants of what could have been
If only I had been a little braver.