Regret is the young girl who sits in the snow
& stares at her hands.

They are bluer than shadows in snow.
They are bloodless as fear.
Her fingernail moons are white.

She wants to crawl into the palm
of her own hand.
She wants extra fingers to cover
the shame of her eyes.

She wants to follow her lifeline where it leads
but it plunges deeper
than the Grand Canyon.

She stands on the edge
still hoping
she can fly.

© Erica Mann Jong

Read more poems by Erica Jong