2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 7

For today's prompt, write a "what if" poem. It could be a "what if" from the past, present or future. For instance, what if no one discovered electricity? (How would we do this challenge?)

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The heaviest thing you can carry is regret
You will never get a handle on it
And you will certainly never
Be prepared for how the weight shifts over the years

So I'm going to break the rules
I am going to stop the clock
The ceiling fan will never swirl
The radio will never make a sound
The sink will not produce any water
And the wind will cease to be

(I am doing all of this for you,
So it would behoove you to
Kindly pay attention)

On a winter's night,
You will receive an invitation to a party
From a friend who have just met
Not knowing how deeply your lives will connect
Not yet, anyway

At this point, you don't see the pieces
Of the puzzle as I see them
I put them in their place
Without an edge
Without a picture
Without a clue

If you go, you will meet her
A beauty the likes of which
You could never imagine
The warmest, softest eyes
The voice that is almost a bird cooing
Knowledge of things you need to know
And the willingness to teach you

She will show you to gaze into stars
You will show her the world of music
And the works you create together
Could never occur in the world otherwise

You first kiss will amaze you
Your first date will be filled with laughter
And the first night you make love
It will be as if the world is born

Now, before I send you off
I'd like to ask you to reconsider

Because in a few years
After you have made the plans
After you have built the foundation
After you have given it your all
She will leave you for another

She will spend the rest of her life
With her new husband, who is not you
Their home will be far, far away
Where they will start their family
Far away from you
Farther away than could be measured

And you?
That's the thing, young friend
You don't know how bad it will hurt and haunt,
As I don't know what will happen if you stayed home

The short term is easy to predict
She will stay with her current lout
The one who leaves her stranded
At a party filled with strangers
And perhaps no one there kind enough
To drive her home through the snow
Like you did, but then again,
I'm sure she'll be fine

If you miss the party,
You may see her a couple of times
In the years that pass by
There will be no connection
There will be no longing

In the interim, your horizons
Will no longer be focused
On the eyes that captivated your soul

There will be other parties
There will be other women
There will be other chances
There will be other moments

To steal and be stolen
To love and be loved

If a moment is all it takes to determine a lifetime...

What if you took a moment to change a life?...

What if...

J.