I could have been nicer to you,
offered you more of my snow cones,
thrown the ball with you more often,
made fun of you a little less.
I could have been kinder.
I could have been friendlier.

I could have been more genuine
in my interactions,
providing you my real feelings
instead of that insincere snark
I am so well-known for
(as an aside,
I just discovered
that snark derives from SNide remARK,
and dates back to – never mind).
I could have gone on half as many tangents.

In retrospect,
I can see dozens of ways
in which I could have treated you better
and given you,
with what I had,
a slightly better world,
so that you could have experienced
a much more pleasant life.

I’m sorry I did none of that.
I’m sorry I didn’t do my part.
I’m sorry I wasn’t nicer.
I’ll try better next time.