Regret

Olivia Ward Bush-Banks 1869 (Sag Harbor, Long Island) – 1944 (United States)



I said a thoughtless word one day,
A loved one heard and went away;
I cried: “Forgive me, I was blind;
I would not wound or be unkind.”
I waited long, but all in vain,
To win my loved one back again.
Too late, alas! to weep and pray,
Death came; my loved one passed away.
Then, what a bitter fate was mine;
No language could my grief define;
Tears of deep regret could not unsay
The thoughtless word I spoke that day.
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Submitted by naama on July 13, 2020

Modified on April 18, 2023

25 sec read
59

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCDAAEEFA
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 410
Words 84
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 12

Olivia Ward Bush-Banks

Olivia Ward Bush-Banks (née Olivia Ward; May 23, 1869 – 1944) was an American author, poet and journalist of African-American and Montaukett Native American descent. Ward celebrated both of her heritages in her poetry and writing. She was a regular contributor to the Colored American magazine and wrote a column for the New Rochelle, New York publication, the Westchester Record-Courier.  more…

All Olivia Ward Bush-Banks poems | Olivia Ward Bush-Banks Books

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