Home » Poems » Jim Slaughter » If I Never

If I Never

If I never lift up my voice,
How will I know 
How sweetly I can sing,
Or its tenor,
Or how well I harmonize
With the music of the universe?

If I never open up my heart,
How will I hear
The echo of its beating in time
With another,
Or feel the exquisite pain of love,
Or the infinite joy of forgiveness?

If I never open up my eyes,
How will I see
The beauty in a falling drop of rain,
Or the wonder in the vastness of the skies,
Or what the mirror tells me
In its stark honest reality?

If I never spread my wings,
How will I know
How high I can soar,
Or how far I can fly,
Or what it's like to race the moon,
Or dip my fingers in a cloud, or touch a star?

I do not want bitter tears
Shed o'er my grave
For songs unsung, or deeds undone,
Or fruit untasted, or love untested.
But if I never learn to live before I die,
What will I do to make it through eternity?

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Michelle Faulkner

Date: 7/21/2022 7:31:00 PM

We should make the most of our opportunities, for they may not come again, life is to be experienced :)

Jim Slaughter
Date: 7/22/2022 10:29:00 AM

Too true, Michelle. It's also too true, I think, that many people don't realize that until it's too late...or almost too late. Thank you.