We've all made mistakes, especially when we were young and honestly believed that the choices we made were for the best. When I looked back on one of the most turbulent times of my life, I realize that I hurt someone who was very dear to me.

But when so many years have passed, how can I go back and tell him I'm sorry?

This poem originally was published in Friendship Poems

Apology
How do I tell you I'm sorry -
With a gesture, a look, a touch?
How is it I never realized
I hurt you so very much?

I do not ask forgiveness,
A comfort I'll never deserve.
I merely want to let you know,
But I cannot find the nerve.

To finally confront you, face-to-face,
To look you in the eye,
To face your wrath, your apathy -
Too terrified to try.

You called me selfish, I turned away,
I festered and I fled;
Cutting and wounding and lashing out,
Just to see if you bled.

Betraying and deceiving you,
I surely had no right
To snatch away such a precious gem;
A dark thief in the night.

Four years and forever passed
To bring us to this day,
When I present these simple words
I never thought to say.

The time has come, it's long past due,
To put aside my fear;
Would this confession torture you,
Or have you longed to hear?

To hear those two forbidden words,
To vanquish all the pain,
To understand my dearest wish:
To know you once again.

The years aged me remarkably,
Though they have not made me wise;
I do know I erred irrevocably -
For that I apologize.
183 Visitor Comments (from the Voting form)
  • princess
    the poem makes me cry,,truth hurts really
  • Lara
    Heya. Lurve ya poem. toched moi heaps. iz did a real liv situation? hope ya do more. ur a poet @ heart.
  • Tammy
    I really loved this poem because my best friend and I started falling in love and he had girl friend and she found out about us and now he does not want to talk to me nomore and that hurts very bad . and i just wanted to say im sorry to him but he does not want to talk to me no more and he did it to and it's not fare to me and my feelings but I want him to know I will always be there for him know matter what so thats why this poem touched me a lot.
  • Yvette
    I love this poem! I know the feeling. it's hard to say those words but in the end we have to say it, no matter how hard it is.
  • Taylor
    this poem really toached me i LOVE it
  • shai
    your poem made me cry and think about all the things i ahve done wrong to my dearest friend to me thank you veery much
  • Hayles
    This is a beautiful poem! i love it so much. I actaully really wish that my friend would say that to me. thankyou for writing such a lovely poem. It touched my heart. You sure have talent.
  • Jessica
    when i read this poem it makes me cry because i did this to my first love i cheated on him and hurt him soo bad and if i could take t back i would so now i sit wodering about him thinking of all the fun times we had and wishing i would have never said goodbye because now he has a girl while i sit here all alone with my bf and thinking i love him but do i really? i love this poem and i think i'm going to send it to my ex and hope he will no how truly sorry i am!
  • Fiona
    Nice poem!
  • sehr
    wow. this poem is amazing it truly touhced me. i lied to a very close friend once and thought it would make her better but it actually made all matters worse and thats when my whole life changed because she was like a sister to me. i think ur poem was excellent! xxxxxxx
  • S
    Thank you for this poem. I'm going through what you described in this poem w/ a friend. which is no longer.
  • naveen
    WONDERFUL POETRY, I REALLY LOVE IT Regards Naveen
  • megan
    i love this poem and i am a big poem writer and this helps me to understand what it is to have a good friendship and not to mess it up
  • girish
    really nice tina. keeep it up bye
  • Erin
    wow. this is such a great poem! a few months ago I fell for a guy, but he was too slack to keep in touch. he really hurt me, he was my first love. I hope one day, he'll realise how much it hurt me to try and walk away. this poem really touched me, it brought tears to my eyes. keep writing, and I hope things worked out with your friend!
  • Minh
    I love this poem! It rox! It touched me a lot.
  • tayor
    This poem touched me i started crying because me and my best friend forever were in a fight for about a year because i was stupi but i was to scared to aplogize. But your poem inspired me to suck it up and apologize. So shhe forgave me and we are now fiedns agian than you so much you changed my life!
  • Brittany
    I was in a situation recently where this poem really touched me. Thanks for posting it.
  • Myesha
    thank you for writing this poem this will be my apology to someone very special and i hope it makes them feels as good then as i do just by reading keep up the good
  • Erin
    I told one of my absolute best friends deepest secret a little while ago. I betrayed her. and now i dont think we will ever talk again. This poem made me cry and realize even more how much of a failure i am at life. She was my world. i loved her more than anyone and i screwed up majorly. I will love her until i die. She is the greatest person i have ever known and it kills me to think of how stupid i was to lose her. This poem showed great emotion. almost close to my own. I cannot find the words to apologize to my friend. I know her and myself so well that i am sure that neither of us would be satisfied with an apology. I plan to let her live her life until i feel that i am worthy to talk to her again. I love her so much.
  • BP
    WOW! This is one of the best poems I have ever read! It's simplicity and depth vividly touched my heart. What a beaufiful piece of work.
  • shellie
    OMG i loved your poem when i was reading it was like i could have written it. it touched my heart and made me and my friend relize that you shouldnt fight over you friendship
  • tina
    this is a beatiful poem written from the heart, it made me weep when i read it, Thanks
  • Antony
    It touched me so much . No words to express my feelings
  • geordyn
    i loved it
  • SASHA
    you made a wonderful poem /i just wanted you to know that
  • Vic
    I was deeply hurt, by my best friend. I had never felt so much pain in my life. Almost two years went by when she finally apologized. That was the best letter of my life. It's never too late to apologize. NEVER. Believe me, I was waiting for those words for 2 years and I would have waited forever.
  • taylor
    this poem is incredibly great, to who ever wrote this you should be commended, this is something i would write to one of my friends, like my best friend,this is a very sweet and inspirational poem, i love it!
  • badbaby
    this is a sweet poem. it brings insperation in to saying im sorry. i will use this poem to help me say im sorry to a friend if i need it. i love this poem.
  • Amy
    The peoms is beautiful and brought tears to my eyes
  • jayanth
    these is one of the best poems' i hav ever read. i just love this poem and i want to share this with my friend whom i lost because of my selfish nature but now i am completely changed and want to get her back.
  • elli
    You have more guts than me! I haven't the courage or will to apologize to my friend yet, even though I wronged her time and time again.
  • norma
    good poem i like it
  • humberto
    well this poem relly strong if you have been a day in my shose couse i have too gone trhue some very bad sitiations and this reminded me of it im gonna give it to my freind wich i too need to apologise too well because im so yung and stuff for my age 14 my life relly suck i have been in too much situations and that make me upset couse i just whant to be another happy teen that lives a good remark of myself in other people harts but scence of all my screw ups its not that way well that all i have to say and i love this poem so good work.
  • becca
    IT was great. I liked it alot.
  • deziraye
    this poem is a really deep, as well as true poem i felt that poem as if u were taking those words right from my heart. so often we hurt people then we lose people and we always wish that we could have just 5 minuets with that person so that we could say all the things we wanted to say but never did say so i truly feel and understand that poem and i think thats what makes a poem a good poem so i just thought i would comment on ur poem.
  • niki
    thats such a touching poem!
  • Jesse
    This poem truely impressed me and I want to say a special thankyou for writing it. I have recently separated from my wife of 33 years due to many unsolvable problems. The words of this poem are exactly how I feel now and I hope that when she reads it, she will be able to forgive me for all the hurt and suffering I may have caused her. Thanks, JesseG I rate it 5 stars!
  • Peggy
    It made me cry! I think the reason is that we are not perfect and there has been at least one person in our life that we have hurt or has hurt us and we wish that we could change it or take back things that we have said or done. It was a very good poem! Good job Tina in writing it.
  • rAeLyN
    i can totall yrelate to this except for the fact that normally the arguements aren't usually four years. But its a really great poem. from: a writer to a writer
  • MARY
    WOW! THIS POEM IS REALLY GREAT.
  • alicia
    this was really good poem it took me
  • Devan
    It sounds soo cool. This is the first poem i read. Through this i think i will be interested on more poems
  • tasha
    i loved this poem it neary made my cry!
  • Becca
    Your poem really was beautiful. a few days ago my best friend and I got into a huge fight. she told me off. and i told her off. we aren't talking now. and it probably won't be for a while. i really wish i could do something. i wanna give her this poem but its not all my fault.
  • shonell
    speechless!
  • Jana
    Reading this beautiful poem brought straight away tears into my eyes. It expresses everything I'm going through right now. The one and only difference is that I broke up my friendship about 15(!) years ago. Still I'm thinking about this true friend a lot but never found the courage to contact him again. With this poem I might and probably will!So thank you very much!
  • Sujin
    I liked it very much.
  • jordan
    this made me cry it was great
  • khadija
    OMG this poem is beautiful one of the best i have ever heard
  • Kristina
    Beautiful. heartfelt. true I think we have all felt this and you have expressed it so eloquently. Thank you
  • mandye
    this poem was amazing and it really touched me. i can relate to feeling that way.
  • Rabia
    i was really touched by this poem because it helped me to save a friendship that was really important to me! Tina K you really have talent!
  • Kathryn
    This poem really touched me and made me remember about my friendship
  • linda
    I like this poem because I have respect for people who can admitt to their faults and the others who forgive.
  • Precious
    The poem was very very good especially if yo dont know how to say your sorry
  • alyssa
    i had a similar experience with someone very like this. I hadnt talked to him in months and he said he wanted to talk to me but he thought i hated him because of what he did to me. but i had moved on and i forgave him. Who knows where things will go from here? Saying your sorry is extremely hard in situations like that, but its true that it means a lot to hear those words from someone who has hurt you.
  • Clareik
    This poem really touches me. I've been but in the same situation with someone very dear to me as well. Read this poem; if you've never been in this situation. please don't, trust me it's not good.
  • Tia
    it is a very nice poem. which helped me express my feeling. keep it up tina
  • illy
    it s just wonderful!
  • Patty
    Great poem! i loved it! after reading this poem i bet many people would apologize!
  • Emilia
    Wow! thats amazing, i really need to send this to my best m8s as we r goin through a rough patch and i just need something to say to her, i want to tell her this but i am too afraid. i love them so much and i want to b their best m8s again . thank you, you inspired me.
  • evitakie
    It was like the story of what im going through if you leave out the 4 years part
  • briana
    this was amzing i ive a 10 fully because i loved it so much
  • paige
    this poem is touching sometimes there r ways u cant say sry to ur friends and somwtimes there r ways u can,this is 1 of the things that u can do tina k should keep on writing poems she does a wondeful job and should never stop this is her talent i think i dk her but she is talented in poems so i will look at more poems on this web site bibi ~lovs~
  • kelsi
    I liked it alot. it probly took alot of time but it was so good:)
  • Sara
    This was a really nice poem. It hit home. keep up the good work!
  • Janice
    I CAN REALLY RELATE TO THIS POEM, BECAUSE I JUST HURTED MY BOYFRIEND FEELINGS 3DAYS AGO AND STILL HAVE'NT FOUND THE RIGHT WORDS TO TELL HIM I'M SORRY I KNOW THIS POEM WILL WORK!
  • Kristin
    this poem is really touching and more people should actually say those words
  • Kaity
    Very very good. Even though I'm not that good at recognising poems, I think that this is a really warming poem. If I had to apologise, I'd send her this and apologise face to face. Thanks
  • carrie
    this poem is really touching!
  • Omnia
    your poem really touch me and it is the truth for me it can take years utill thses 2 words come out of my mouth but your poem changed everything
  • archana
    itz a very nice poem! keep up the good work
  • baby
    Cool poem,I think it's asum!
  • vanessa
    i loved the poem bcuz its exactly wat im goin through and i still am and dun kno how to confront this person and readin this poem helped me a lot. thanx
  • Giancarlo
    Well structured!
  • Amber
    WELL DONE! THIS POEM WAS SOMETHING THAT TOUCHED ME AS I WAS PASSING BY THAT REMINDS ME OF SOME OF THE THINGS MY USE TO BE FRIEND NEEDS TO SEE! BUT YOU`VE DONE EXCELLENT KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
  • melodee
    I really liked this poem that is exactly how i feel right now im so lost without words awsome poem man
  • Chucha
    On A scale of 1-4 this poem deserves a 5. Chucha
  • SJ
    I feel the same way about me and some of my friends. I actually just got into a fight with two of my closest ones. They are in every class together and I am not in any with them. They are leaving me out. I could just cry. I think they are gossiping about me. I think they are very mad at me. They never invite me over anymore. :-( This poem is extremely touching!
  • Rachel
    I can relate to this b/c me and my best friend are going through a hard time and I kind of blue up on her and I feel stupid to say I am sorry
  • Kayla
    I reckon you did a great job. It really touched me. I just like to say thank you for letting me have a cry, it really helped me!
  • Graham
    I read a sort of borrowed and hacked take of this and liked it to the point I sang it. Reading the full version here, I find all the gaps i felt were in the first one I saw, were all nicely filled. Lovely piece of writing. Tina. And so sorry a member of an organisation I am part of took liberties with it. Graham
  • emily
    i really like it cause is the story of my friend and i and i am going to give it to her and lets see if she talks to me again
  • sabrina
    luv it you are right about everything.
  • Jesseca
    I think that this poem was a very good one I would like my friend to hear it so I sent it too her.
  • Jess
    I would vote this poem as 10 outta 10. It touched me so deep inside because I can relate to it any way possible. I hurt my friend without meaning to, and we have not talked for days. I don't have to courage to face her and tell her I was wrong and that I'm sorry. Someday soon, I hope I can have enough courage to do so.
  • violeta
    i really like your poem. It seems like if it came right from your heart
  • nicole
    i think it is fantastic when someone can come to terms with what they have done and appolagise,as you have done. the words are very strong and meaningful,and it touched my heart,cause life is too short. thankyou for sharing a great poem
  • Daniela
    purfect,touching,and truthful
  • liliana
    this poem is gangsta! 4-sho
  • Kim
    i really love that poem. Me and my best friend are in a tough situation and ur poem helped a lot thanks soooo much!
  • emman
    its so nice! and beautiful. nice work!
  • audrey
    the poem touched me it's like the poem was my life good job.
  • Josie
    very good poem. sounds a lot like my situation. keep up da good work!
  • Am
    I love this poem it means so much to me
  • anita
    i like it.
  • Tina
    I can feel the touch of this poem. I thought you did a realy wonderful job on this poem and I enjoyed it very well! By the way, we have the same name! That's cool! Well. goodluck! -Tina
  • carlos
    love it!
  • dwayne
    I thought this was a very well written poem and I enjoyed it very much.
  • Stacey
    this is was a wonderful poem. it really hit me deep. i hope you keep up the great work
  • Zara-Marie
    This poem really touched me its very sad and a very heart felt poem i thought.
  • Hannah
    ThiS pOeM rEaLLy DeScRiBeZ mY FeELiNGz! ItZ DeEp! YoUr a ToP wRiTeR! KeEp iT uP! [x]O[x]
  • Doesn't
    I can definitely relate to this poem but in a reverse sense. it is definitely a touching one.
  • dipankar
    Excellent one. Even write poems but not this much depth. My words of appreciation will never end on this poem.
  • sarah
    I loved it i thought that it was a nice appology that she had to write It is the top poem i have read in forever and i love poetry!
  • Scott
    This is one of the best peices of poetry i have read. It perfectly sums up i am feeling after the biggest mistake of my life. And hurting someone beyond repair. Everyone i have referred to this poem has agreed, it is a wonderful and emotional piece of writiing. I hope you do not mind that i have borrowed it for my own situation, accrediting you of course. Thankyou.
  • Lena
    WOW! This poem is great! You should get it published! You got a lo coming for you the way you write! Keep it up! ~~Lena
  • Amanda
    I Know what this person is talking about. i can relate to it.
  • Shaney
    Thats poem is exactly what i want my best friends to say now that they have hurt me
  • sonia
    i like this pome alot, it really toch me and it reimains of me when i fight with my best friend.
  • Alexis
    I loved this poem it was very touching !
  • sanghamitra
    this reminds me of the recent fight i had with a very close friend of mine. i apologised, and now we're gr8 frenz again! ur words describe exactly what i went through.
  • Sint
    good job
  • abigail
    i like your poem it is very oh whats the word for it um . forgivable how do you do it make up poems and they help so many people thank you
  • Ana
    This poem is good!
  • anu
    its not a simple but the BEST.
  • Maiya
    I have just hurt someone whom i love very dearly with luck he has forgiven me so i am fortunate but this poem touched a nerve
  • Sam
    I thought it was great
  • chelsea
    Great job
  • MIKE
    YO SON THIS WUZ HARD IT HIT DEEP
  • Kinson
    Alrite. This poem is narrow, defined, and has attitude! Yo! Keep up the hot poetry flowing. This one is real cool.
  • UnKnown
    Reading this poem has really opened my eyes because it describes exactly what happened between me and my friend. The only problem is that I was the one who betrayed her. I tryed to tell her how sorry I was, but reading this poem is the best way to tell somebody that your sorry.
  • Amber
    Hey your extremly talented! Could you right more apology poems because i owe my old best friend many of them sadley! Thank you so much!
  • henry
    Very nicely done. Simple and to the point. A outstanding message. THank you.
  • taryn
    it reminds me of my friend when i said something wrong and i apologized
  • leslie
    this poem is just the what i whant to tell someone i hurt . is the way i feel and whit it it will be easier to say i sorry. your poem is the bomb
  • lauren
    i really like this poem it relates to alot of ppl and i understand wat ur going through . i wish i kne how long i'm gonna feel like this but i hope ur okay now and that everything went okay w/ ur friend!
  • donnielle
    i really enjoyed your poem. it reminded me of someone i knew who meant so much to.
  • Kool-Aid
    I like your poem. It reminds me of my ex-best friend Alexandra. And now I can't even see her face to face. But I have to face it.
  • Benetta
    This poem made me think about my best friend and how i betrayed her. i want to apologize but i dont know how this helped me think
  • KRISSEY
    I LOVED IT I BELEIVE WE HAVE ALL HURT SOMEONE IN OUR PAST AND NEVER HAD A NERVE TO SAY I'M SORRY!
  • Jessica
    I liked the poem. I feel it.
  • Nessa Bear
    I think that this poem was one of the best I have read in a long time on the subject of apologies. Recently my bestfriend and I let our 4 year friendship go out the window. simply becaseu we found it was easier then admiting we were wrong. I have sent this to her to let her know I am sorry-thank you for writing this poem-you're a life saver!
  • Baby
    i think this poem is great it used nice rhyming words and ended beutifuly
  • Rebecca
    Tina you made a good poem. this poem reminds me of a friend of mine. Keep up the good work keep on writing
  • alziik
    five days ago i angered my friend though not delibarately, tried to find words to say sorry but none just said the things i felt this poem just said what i exactly wnted to say. it is great i hope he forgives me soon.
  • kelly
    this pome really inspired me to say sorry to my boy friend not just b/c hes my boy but hes me bf and i did something realy mean and thani realilized how much more i am i am with him i love this pome
  • Lisa
    it really helped me to say sorry and to open my eyes
  • Jo
    I was very moved by this poem and I am currently in tears, Thank you so much for sharing this poem with me, im moved.
  • Hannah
    That poem was absolutely beautiful. I really enjoyed reading it. You have oodles of talent as a poet and you ought to write more
  • asher
    yours poems are very simple but very effctive. i like your poetry. i am also poet in urdu language
  • kelsie
    i read this poem and it was very nice i was looking for a poem to give to my friend to say i was sorry as we had a fight the day before and we still arent friends i just wont us to be best friends again so i like this poem alot so i gave it to her i hope she liked it like i did
  • Kelly
    I liked your poem. When I read it it said Hey thats me in a thousand ways. I owe someone apologue but i just don't have the nerve. Thank you.
  • Edgar
    thanks for the poem! i like it! it touched my heart!
  • Rachael
    This poem speaks of so many of us, as we live life and eventually hurt those we love. This poem touched my heart, and if I were the one receiving it, I think I would cry when I realized how sorry you were. Thanks again
  • Becky
    Very powerful poem!
  • Lisa
    I needed to apologize to someone and I just didn't have the words because it was too fresh and too new. This poem helped me a lot and healed me in a way. I cried when I read it but it was a very cathartic experience.
  • Katel
    It touched me and now i finally know what to say to my friend. So thank you, Tina K.
  • ChRiStInA
    I really like this poem, because it speaks from the heart. and because I know how it feels when you hurt someone you love and couldn't see. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do
  • ajie
    Thankyou so much for that poem. If i didn't know better id think that you've been going through the same experience which i have. This poem means a lot to me. Thankyou again.
  • blond
    Wow that wus really kool! That was one of the best poems eva!
  • arica
    justwanted you toknow thatilike poetry i write some but any ways me and my friend got in a fight well she lives in another state but either one of us wanted to say sorry and after i read your poem i got the courage to call her and say sorry
  • Megan
    I really like this poem it express's alot of fellings and I know I have hurt alot of people but I think I hurt Lindsey the worst and i sent this poem to her not for her forgivness but to let her now that I am still sorry for everything I did to her! Thanks alot.
  • Jazzy
    This poem is hecka good. I mean, I mean, I mean! I did something do my best friend and I knew I was wrong, so I read this poem and it helped me apologize to her. Good job!
  • Leah
    I simply love this poem!
  • nikki
    i thought that was great. i wish my best friend or used to be best friend would say that to me!
  • JASHANK
    IT helped me make my friend realise that i was actually sorry
  • Roni
    This poem ment so much to me! This happened to me. Although it wasn't like that it still toutched my heart. She used to say that i'm bossy but now she really wants to be my friend again but it will never happen because her Step dad hates me. I will always love this poem. It was a very cool and beautiful song. Keep wrighting song s you very good at it. Best Wishes that you will become a perfesional wrighter. Very nice job.
  • court
    this was an excellent poem it touches right on the spot of what you do or should do if you betray or do something wrong to a friend
  • Rosa
    Your poem is very touching, it is as though it is able to describe all the things I feel right now.
  • Kishan
    really liked the poem and just got what i wanted to express. keep doing good work.
  • salome
    It's well written and sounds real, touched my feelings.
  • Sweetz
    OMG! that was like kool
  • Gabrielle
    It's an awesome poem, only real poets can express such feelings so vividly! :)
  • Lisa
    Your poem was what many people go through right now. you gave me courage to go up to my frend and apolagize. Thank you very much your poem is amazing.
  • TN
    The Poem really touched a part of my heart that i never knew i had. I e-mailed this poem to my ex-girlfriend that I had recently broke up with. I am sorry Jinnie.
  • crystal
    I and my friend had fought so many times and it was so hard to apologize to her as both of us were stubborn.But this was the best poem to express my feelings to her!I owe u a big hug and a thanks!
  • casey
    hi!youre actually so right.well,i actually just wanted to say sorry to my best friend "ALYSSA".she recommended this web site and she goes here daily so im sure that she'll read it.thanks a lot! you inspired me! god bless and more power!
  • RAJ
    VERY NICE POEM I REALLY ENJOYED READIND IT: IT TALKS FROM THE SOUL SO KEEP THE EXECELLENT WORK UP AUTHOR (WRITER)
  • nishy
    truly expressive and convincingly apologetic poem!
  • Kat
    Sorry is always the hardest word to say, this brought a tear to my eye :)
  • Jeanette
    I thought this was one of the best poems I've ever read
  • JeSSY
    My friend and I were in a tourturous fight. After reading this excellent poem,i sent it to my friend. I hope it means something to her,cause APOLOGY by tina meant alot to me.
  • Amanda
    Pretty nice poem.I like the way that you express how you truly feel.
  • lainey
    Awsome. It pretty much says it all. Haven't got the nerve to send it to the person that I want to though.
  • Lindy
    This is an awesome poem! I just got in a fight with my best friend and I saw this poem and sent it to her and so her and I are talking again! Thanx!
  • KC
    It describes exactly what some people go through. It's what my friends are acting like right now. KC,11
  • Tegan
    Apologys are so important, as is forgiveness, Tina showed both of these so welL!
  • Matt
    Excellent
  • Muhamad
    I like it very much and it sounds very soothing and touching with the words from the heart. It will bring warmth even when somebody is cold
  • amber
    I Love the poem it says just how i feel now i hope it solves a problem i'm trying to get accross
  • Ashley
    I dont know how to describe you poem...it was really deep and true. Many kids are going through what you described and I would just like to thank you

All Visitor Comments on this poem have been posted by people who wanted to let the author know the poem touched their hearts. If you would like to leave a comment of your own, please Vote for this poem.