“Old baggage” or “past history”?

Yes, I’m 43 and single-never married, among other things.

In part, that’s due to having met few women who have interested me.

That, in part, is due to not having “circulated” as much as some men do. Part of the reason for that might be “sour grapes.” I’ll admit that, as I look closer at myself.

But, the larger part of that has been for other, often unconscious reasons. People who know me and my “story” better might be able to take a better guess at that.

In any case, that’s part of the reason I prefer to refer to my past, the “lost years” I reference in the poem immediately below this, as past history. And that’s why I prefer the same from other people who know me well enough to recognize that.