If Only

In the autumn of my life I peer back through the misty past, Recalling the many "if onlys" that at my feet were cast. "If only" I had done this or had not done that, I reminisce, Some things might have gone smoother, others perhaps amiss. "If only" I'd been an earnest pupil, would I have been further ahead? Alas, I chose to daydream and just eke by instead! "If only" I had opted for a career other than that I chose, Would my life have been more meaningful to others - who knows! "If only" I had been more considerate of others along life's way. "If only" I had shown more love and compassion each passing day. I was blessed with wonderful parents ordained by God above. "If only" I had expressed to them more often my endearing love. "If only" I'd bought that vacant land where a shopping mall now stands, My spouse and I could have retired to one of those tropical strands! "If only" I had invested in that "hot" stock many years ago, I could fish and play golf every day and watch it steadily grow! "If only", two little words spoken, alas, often to late! "If only! If only!" I muse, what would have been my fate? Had I taken different paths along life's precarious bourne, Would the vicissitudes of life been less onerous for me to have borne? Entry for Silent One's "Response To If" Contest