If I Could... Poem by Dorothy Good

If I could just have one little wish granted,
I would change the view of my listeners that's slanted,
I would say to you all, "Just come on in! "
There is much more to me than my crepe paper skin.
Now it's true, I may look a bit shriveled and old,
But there's much more behind me than what you behold.
You would find a small girl in fine dresses and curls,
Who dreams of a fancy tea party with girls.
Sometimes I'm a school girl 'waiting the bus,
And playing with basketball teams against us.
Our "Wildcats" were fierce when it came down to sports,
"The team's in a huddle, " with umpires of sorts.
We bravely participated in song festivals,
And sang up and down the scale in mid-intervals.
The teen years were lively with friends hanging out,
We wrote essays, we sang, and kept gadding about.
Though it's hard to believe there was not such a thing
No cell phone, no status, and no whatsapping.
It's hard to imagine, I too, was a youth,
I too, dreamed my dreams, I was young, just like you!
Yes, behind all these wrinkles, and far too much skin,
Still dwells a blythe youth girl, just hiding within.
Who wonders what happened when trying to throw,
The ball drops beside me, refusing to go.
They've moved all the bases, twice as far you know,
My brain says, "I'm running, " My feet say, "I'm slow! "
Oh, where are the children who sat at these feet?
These feet are imprisoned, bound tightly to me.
These feet that are weathered, and run painfully,
They'd still love to run with abandon so free.
These hands once could write with a light, flowing script,
This poem now so slowly and shakily writ.
The heart 'neath this skin may have rhythm gone wild,
But deep down inside, it's the heart of a child.
Beneath all these creases and deep in the folds,
You'll find still a treasure, it's love not grown old.
This heart beats a message that can't hide within,
The love for all mankind, how can I begin?
I think of the cherished ones gone on before,
My mother and dad standing safe on that shore.
This heart beats a message that goes beyond doors,
It rattles the gates and of heaven implores;
For those who've grown weary, whose feet lost the way,
They've stumbled and fallen, for them this heart prays.
Until this frail shell will lie silent and still,
This heart earnestly prays for each one...yes
each one...because...this heart's love never fails...
dg