Life’s Too Short, and You’re Too Bitter
written by: Leon Drake
There was a time
we could sit on the tailgate
and solve nothing
except an empty case of cheap beer.
We thought
that counted for something.
Years arrived
wearing neckties,
divorce papers,
hospital bracelets,
and opinions
too heavy to carry gracefully.
Somewhere along the way
you traded laughter
for keeping score.
Every conversation
became a courtroom.
Every memory
needed a defendant.
I kept reaching
for the old version of you,
the one who laughed
before bitterness
became your favorite language.
But people disappear
long before they leave.
Sometimes
they’re still standing
right in front of you,
already gone.
I’ve learned
that not every goodbye
needs to be spoken.
Some friendships
simply dry up
like forgotten rivers,
leaving cracked earth
where we once skipped stones.
I hope you find
whatever peace
keeps outrunning you.
I hope one morning
you wake up
and discover
that forgiveness
weighs less
than resentment.
As for me…
life’s too short
to argue with ghosts
who still have a pulse.
Life’s too short
to wait for yesterday
to return wearing
someone else’s face.
And you’re
too bitter
to remember
how beautiful
our friendship
once was.
- Life’s Too Short, and You’re Too Bitter - August 7, 2026
- Echoes Off Shore - May 5, 2026
