Lifetime Wishes

If a lifetime were as a clock,
able to go backwards sometimes,
to make little corrections,
I would wish to pick my times,
carefully,
with great thought,
to fix little things
before they grew big.

Once, to go back
instead to say words,
to not pretend all is fine,
and go on.

Once, to taste again
those few unforgettable things
lost to the past.

Once, to feel the awe of things new,
unbridled by pretense
or familiarity.

Then finally, once,
to recall innocence,
and joy
for things simple,
and pure laughter,

and then the clock could tick on forward
with few regrets.