Potential – Written March 2026 (Aged 51)

Potential

I am the king
of unrealised potential;
and,
I am the queen
of talent,
that is residual
and never seen.
I am the prince
of creativity —
the type
that never created a response,
or a meaningful reality.
I am the master
of what could have been,
the high sheriff
of others’ praise,
but I have never
converted what they mean.
So,
I deal in dreams,
but I am the leading light
of never explaining
what they really mean.
I am the king
of infinite potential;
a queen caught
in unrealised scenes.
Everyone,
everyone
has told me so —
but those sponsors,
those champions,
they quickly
come and go.
And I remain a king,
but only
the king
of unrealised potential;
where plans
and gifts
never become
operational.
I am the queen
of talents
that can only ever kneel;
and the best
I can say to you
is, I know, I know,
I know exactly
how it feels.

James Garratt – March 2026

More poems at
https://theboybehindtheglasses.com/

More about this blog, The Boy Behind the Glasses, here
https://theboybehindtheglasses.com/2020/01/08/the-boy-behind-the-glasses-an-introduction/

More poems from 2026
https://theboybehindtheglasses.com/category/poems-and-writing-2026/