My Guilt
When I was a child I walked two miles to school
accompanied by a neighbor boy two years younger.
Freddie was fat and freckle faced
with wheat-straw hair and a mean stepmother.
It was late fall and one day his father
bought him a new winter cap.
It was made of heavy brown tweed with ear flaps.
It cost one dollar and twenty cents.
The next morning when he joined me
on the way to school, he showed me his new cap.
Almost bursting with pride, he took it off
so I could see the rabbit fur lining the ear flaps.
Whether out of downright meanness, or jealousy
because I didn’t have a new cap,
just last year’s old red knitted toque,
I snatched it out of his hand
tossing it in the air and catching it again.
This went on for about half a mile.
Screaming and pleading, he ran after me.
But his legs were shorter than mine,
he couldn’t catch me.
Winded, I stopped and thrust the cap down a badger hole.
He ran up sobbing and reached down into the earth.
But the hole was deep, his arm not long enough.
He sat back on his heels and cried bitterly.
Guiltily, I stretched my arm down,
But there was no bottom, or so it appeared.
“Come on,” I said, “We’ll be late for school,
we’ll get it on our way home tonight.”
All day I felt his troubled gaze upon me
and I had trouble focussing on the printed page.
When we trudged homeward after school,
we tried again to rescue the cap, with no success.
And since Freddie was not allowed to loiter,
nor was I, we gave up.
Freddie dragged his feet, dreading to face
his stepmother and I too cowardly
to confess my guilt.
Later that evening his father took a shovel
and dug, but the hole was deep, slanting off
in different directions underground.
He gave up too and Freddie cried himself to sleep.
After that he came to school bareheaded.
My heart was like a stone in my breast
when I looked at his ears red with cold.
But I had no money to buy him another cap.
even when I wanted to which I suppose I didn’t.
They moved away after that, not because of the cap,
but drought, poverty, and all that goes with it
drove them to another part of the country.
Through the many years since,
Freddie’s sad face haunts me accusingly
and rightly so, for the callous thing I had done,
when I was twelve and he was ten.
-Agnes Copithorne
I have to imagine that I am the speaker in this poem MY Guilt and that 15 years have passed since Freddie and his family moved away. I have acquired Freddie's mailing address through a mutual friend. Becuase I am still bothered by pangs of guilt, i decide that I need to write hima letter of apology. Write Freddie a letter to try to explain the reasons behind your callous act. You should also deal with how you presently feel about the incident.
I have done this assignment, and would like to get it edited. So after reading my letter, can you please edit it. Thank you very much in return:-)
Dear Freddie;
Since you have left from here, nothing
seems the same. Each day brings more
darkness in my life; I regret about
the incident made by me in the past.
You probably got over with your pain,
but mine gets worse each day. That
guilt is locked deep within me; one
day it'll be the reason for my death.
I apologise to you for snatching away
your new cap and throwing it down the
badger hole. I was jealous of you
having a new cap, and not me. It was
my ego which compelled me to do such a
callous act. I apologise to you
wholeheartdly. Please forgive me
Freddie. You must be living in your
present right now; Making preparations
to move on to the future. I am still
living in the past, feeling repentent.
Without you accepting my apology, I
will not be ablt to move onto the
future. It is rightly said that
whatever you reap, you shall sow, and
that has happened with me. God has
given me a punishment for my mistake
with you. That guilt made me drop out
of school and knocked out of my house.
I am all alone; out in the streets,
begging for money. All the money I
gained past those days has been used
just for food. This letter I have sent
to you by stealing ornaments from the
shop. I am not just a bad human, but
also a criminal. Injustice has been
played on me. Who knows about
tomorrow. By forgiving me Freddie, you
will give my soul peace.
Love; Sara
Can you please edit this, and tell me if I have set up the letter good, menaing Love; Sara. Is it supposed to be Love, Sara?
Dear Freddie,
Since you left, my life has been filled with darkness. Each day, I feel the weight of regret for the callous act I committed in the past. While you may have moved on from the pain, mine only gets worse with time. The guilt is deeply locked within me, and I fear it will be the cause of my downfall.
I want to sincerely apologize for snatching your new cap and throwing it down the badger hole. I was consumed by jealousy because I didn't have a new cap like you. It was my ego that compelled me to behave so thoughtlessly. I am truly sorry, Freddie. Please find it in your heart to forgive me.
As you continue living in the present and making preparations for the future, I find myself stuck in the past, filled with remorse. Without your forgiveness, I cannot move forward. It is said that you reap what you sow, and I believe I am experiencing the consequences of my actions. God has punished me for my mistake, leading me to drop out of school and lose my home. Now, I find myself alone on the streets, begging for money just to survive.
Please understand, Freddie, that I am not only a remorseful person but also a criminal. I have resorted to stealing to send you this letter. Injustice has been dealt to me, and I am uncertain about what tomorrow holds. By granting me your forgiveness, Freddie, you will bring peace to my tormented soul.
With heartfelt apologies,
Sara
(Note: It is more common to use a comma after the closing, so it should be "Love, Sara" instead of "Love; Sara.")
You're welcome, Sara.
No, I’m afraid it’s Love; Sara, Ms.
Sue.
Sara, this is an excellent poem.
It's supposed to be Love, Sara.