One of the lives

One of the lives
a shadow poem by ... wouldnt you like to know


If I had not suddenly decided
on a breezy spring day
to leave that house and all its contents
so to make something else of a life
not knowing exactly what I was doing
only where I was going
and if a little girl with no water had not asked of her neighbor
please may I shower she would have never
have met the kind woman with two children
who would later bring her in as her own
until that little girl's brother, also with two children
would bring her in as his own
and if my mother had not had a fear of flying and
instead drove to Alaska with only herself
and if my father had not met her and made me
only to leave not of will
and die twelve years later
for the same reason he left
or if my mother had not decided
her children needed more room to grow
so that she would move out to Big Lake after breaking her back
where she would live without the basic necessities
for many years afterward trying only to make us happy with room
but only making it hard
in turn driving her as crazy as us
and if I had not had the guts to take that risk
whether or not my guilt over whelmed me
but knowing that staying would be my demise
not for material reasons but for the sake of my own emotional well being
and if my brother had not had the same hurtful experiences
that would make him sympathize with us as well as rise above them
I would have never began working at Walmart during the summer
before attending a new school
and if I wasn't assigned as People Greeter
where I would struggle my first day trying to hand out carts
and a handsome young cart pusher that gave me an incredibly wrong first impression
hadn't been so eager to help
then I never would have given him a chance
nor would I have found that he was really as sincere as he seemed
and I would never have fallen in love