I Wasn't Ready

I occasionally wonder
What might
Have happened
Had I not left
When I did.
We were each
So very young
And innocent.
There was only us,
And our frenzied present.
Nothing else
Seemed to matter.
For a while
We had no inhibitions,
No nagging fears,
And no qualms
About loving each other.
Whatever bounds
We should have known,
Or momentary insecurities
We might have harbored
Were lost in the heat
Of our passion.
Neither of us
Were inhibited
By custom or culture,
Or past romantic failures.
But why then,
Did I leave?
I was sorely tempted
To stay with you,
And I suppose
We would have
Ended up married
Had I done so,
But I don’t think
It would have lasted.
It takes more than
Love and lust to hold
Two people together.
Deep down
I knew I wasn’t ready
To settle down.
I had a world to see
And a lot of growing up to do.
In a sense, I think,
I did us both a favor
In leaving when I did.