Too Soon, Too Soft

I said sorry before the words settled,

apologies spilling like loose change,

too quick, too soft,

falling heavy on a cold tabletop.

Their eyes caught mine, wide and sharp,

as if my forgiveness slipped out

before it was earned,

before the hurt could catch its breath.

Now the words hang like unfinished curtains,

a draft slipping through cracked walls,

a quiet regret that lives in empty rooms.