IF ONLY

In Dedication to a Good Friend

IF ONLY
(In Dedication to a Good Friend)

If only I hadn’t yelled at him
If only I had asked properly
If only he had come to my piano recital
My father would not have died

If only he had gone somewhere else
If only he hadn’t gone to the party
If only he hadn’t had that drink
My father would not have died

If only he had stopped after the first drink
If only he had let someone else drive
If only he had thought things through.
My father would not have died

If only he wasn’t drinking while driving
If only he hadn’t dropped the can
If only he hadn’t bent to pick it up
My father would not have died

If only the road had been empty
If only the light had not been red
If only that semi had turned at the last corner
My father would not have died