If Only
By Adeline R
Published 22 August 2023
A stony face
A scanned but not read newspaper.
An idle town
An unsuspecting country, a continent, a world
A world that no one’s listening to.
The hum of change moistens the air.
Ghosts of the past haunt a place full of bricks, lumber, and mundane.
A place where a blueprint was drawn, where builders assembled
Where a naïve house was built, unbeknownst to the past.
If only they knew, if only people paid attention
If only, if only
If only a wind hadn’t pushed the ship the wrong way
If only the rough seas had persuaded the sailors to turn back.
If only, if only
A butterfly chain of events
When a bird flaps its wings, the world will then fall…
And when that day comes, people will wonder.
And finally, with destruction comes a devastating realisation.
The only way you can love is if you’ve lost.
And when the devastating realisation knocks their hearts through
If only, if only, they’ll say.