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If I Had the Time.


If I had the time to smell the daisies I would,
If I had the time to laze away the day I would,
But for now I have to do the things I should,
Time is too precious to waste even if I could.,

At twenty I was setting out to make my mark upon the world,
The days just raced on by in an ever increasing whirl,
Competition was keen, I had to be up among the best,
Every day it seemed was some kind of test.

At thirty I was married with a young family to support,
My work days were long , no time for pleasure or for sport,
The family was growing I had to ensure a future for them all,
No time to neglect a thing, just keep my eye upon the ball,

At forty my business had grown, I had to keep competition at bay.
It meant longer hours working hard by night and by day,
The family grew, I saw them briefly as we went our separate ways,
When someone asked about them I said, “they’re doing OK”.

At fifty I saw them graduate and congratulated them with pride,
Of course I couldn’t be there for the awards, I couldn’t put the time aside,
Still it’s nice to know that all the time they had my full support,
Even if I wasn’t able to see them really, as much as I ought,

So life goes on I have that feeling life has passed me by,
So many good intentions, I must say I really tried,
To give the family all they needed to survive,
Perhaps misplaced love, based on a materiel life,

So now I wonder, could I have better rationed time,
Could I have smelt the daisies, making life sublime,
Instead of rushing headlong into that life apart,
Which leaves me wondering with an ache in my heart.

John W 04/02/04