Soul Abated

He traded his soul
For a memory long lost
A heart black as coal
To pay all the costs

He took a deep breath
From his final cigarette
Contemplating death
But knowing not even that would let him forget

He flicked the cigarette away
And fixed his eyes on the place
Struggling not to delay
To meet his shame face to face

He walked, head down
Into those trees
The ones that now crowned
His hollow victory

This was where it began
What could have been, now faded
Because pride  overran
He stood now, broken and jaded

It should never have happened
He was to blame
He never imagined
His actions would bring so much pain

But he could not deny
She paid the price
For his hasty goodby
Taking up his vice

With the guilt so heavy
He chose to forget
And relinquish his levy
The bright eyed brunette

But now he's returned
To once again remember
And hopefully, forgiveness to earn
For that fateful day in December

So he traded his soul
To reclaim the memory he abandoned
For the girl's life he inadvertently stole
And the truth he once commanded