If Only Poem by Biff McGuire

As the vagrant man falls in the park,
and gathers the papers for warmth in the dark

The last thought that enters his mind, if only

As the gang boy is tagging the wall,
with profanities shocking to all

And feeling the cuffs that restrain his hands now, if only

My child's been adopted 'cause drugs were my choice
I won't see her grow up, I won't hear her voice
I won't see her marry, and never rejoice, if only

When the elderly man's lost his wife,
and is left in a lonely world crowded with strife

The pills take effect and he blinks away life, if only

Flashes light up the room as he steps to the mic
he's sorry again he was with her all night

And the wife is in tears as he tells of his plight, if only

If only I'd never had that first drink
If only I had stopped to think

If only he'd never offered me that
If only they'd gone to the doctor and sat

If only she'd never glanced my way
If only we'd knelt down to pray

Our lives would be better in so many ways

If only