Poetry Thursday - Proof

Word Problem

Let X stand alone as a reminder
of the words that wanted to be written
but weren't.

Let Y hold the place
of apologies that were offered
but then negated with a following
qualifier.

Imagine, then, that a train
travelling through a range
of snow-dazzled mountains
increases its speed by a factor of Q
as the conductor longs
to put her feet up by a fire
and finish that book she's in the middle of.

Given that time is a non-renewable resource,
that everyone looks back on something
with a sense of bitterness and regret,
and that we creatures crave comfort,

solve for X.

(Thanks to the women of Poetry Thursday,
and to my poetry sister KD,
for their continuing inspiration.)