GUILTY AS CHARGED

When I do not write, I feel guilty; 

When I write a paragraph, I feel guilty;

And after all that trouble, I finally complete a page; 

but the guilt stays with me.

When I ask for help, I feel guilty; 

When I do not, I feel guilty; 

Finally, when I solve the problem with or without help, 

the guilt somehow remains with me.

When I play with my baby, I feel guilty; 

When I wish she would go away, I feel guilty;

And when she tells me, ‘Ma, I understand that you have to work’, 

the guilt overwhelms me.

When I am selfish, I feel guilty;

When I am selfless, I feel guilty;

And when I lie in bed and reflect on the day that went by, 

the guilt is all I see.

The more I ponder, lying there in bed,

the more I see that the guilt is not outside of me. 

No - I realise in dismal shock -

I am guilty as charged by none other than me.