Promise Reneged

When things collapse, it is hard to say: “No”

a poem

By intheskies . Adobe Stock licensed.

I had to renege
on a hope that I had given,
when I came to realize,
it was not a surprise,
I would once again be taken.

When people come to beg,
I am the one who listens,
who understands their lies,
the choices in their lives,
their sense of hope forsaken.

And so I easily let
empathy take possession
over the rest of my mind,
I search and search to find
any kind of solution.

And soon I find I lead
my thoughts into regression,
and that I have arrived
at a place that we contrived
without a resolution.

So now I must renege
the half promise that I meant
in good faith at the time;
I trust they will survive,
to beg my promise once again.

In a world of near-complete uncertainty and potential collapse, I would like to think that I would be a safe place, where promises can be relied upon. The issue I missed is that for some, these promises do not have end dates and are viewed as endless resources for their use and abuse. So, nothing changes because I provide the protection from consequences.

This leaves me in the position of having to renege on the assumed promise to provide solutions. This always involves unhealthy amounts of personal guilt.

When my children pressed on this guilt, my response might have been: “Life is sometimes unfair. We have to move on.” I don’t know the reason I cannot do this so easily with adults.

Thank you for taking the time to read! I deeply appreciate your support. Copyright © 2026, Robert G. Metivier. All Rights Reserved.

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