National Poetry Month '26: A Rearview Mirror Can't Know

Hello, National Poetry Month. This month, I will be writing 26 poems for the April celebration. The poems will be about whatever has piqued my interest in the last twenty-four hours. 

A Rearview Mirror Can't Know

the rearview mirror 

tries to make itself

bigger, sun reflecting,

requiring attention.

looking back

it's easy to see 

those days

so differently.

you should've stopped

at the park,

the one with magnolia

trees in full bloom.

should've put the 

to-do list down,

walked the winding trail.

instead, you drove on.

should've stopped 

at the coffee shop,

with its warm coffee

perfectly sweet,

the one on the corner,

buzzing with conversation,

time no longer relevant.

instead, you drove on.

should've stopped 

when the road became 

narrow, full of potholes,

instead, you drove on,

without reducing

speed, unaware of the 

meandering river

calling your name.

looking back

it's easy to forget

all the turns 

that brought such joy.

what the rearview mirror

doesn't understand,

you can only be 

where you are.

© Cathy L. Mere, 2026