Error
We all of us realize our mistakes too late except those of us who realize them beforehand but nevertheless commit them.
Kay Sage
SourceLicence:Public domain (US, unrenewed)
We all of us realize our mistakes too late except those of us who realize them beforehand but nevertheless commit them.
Kay Sage's "Error" starts out sounding like a familiar piece of wisdom: we only see our mistakes after they've happened. That's the common experience, and the speaker states it plainly. Then comes the twist. A small group of people, she says, can see their mistakes coming, and it makes no difference. They go ahead and commit them anyway.
The turn is what gives the poem its sting. Hindsight at least looks like an excuse, since you didn't know. Foresight takes the excuse away. The speaker seems to be pointing at a stubborn part of human nature, the way awareness and action don't always line up. The tone is dry and deadpan, almost matter-of-fact, and the short, clipped lines make the admission land quietly rather than dramatically. There's a hint of wry self-knowledge too, as if the speaker might be counting herself among those who knew better. The mood is rueful rather than angry: a shrug, with something heavier underneath.