If Only You Knew

I was lying in bed, unable to sleep, Thinking of troubles I'd seen in life, so deep. If I could give counsel to the younger Dave, From so many disasters, him I could still save. Somewhere, in bed, many years and miles away, A boy asked, "Mom, why put me in bed - it's day?" He couldn't sleep, 'cuz outside it was still light He heard an old man's voice, as day turned to night,   "Young boy, I need not lament, 'if only you knew', Because, if you listen, I'll tell it to you. It took me quite some time to figure it out - I come to you through a twisted space-time route." The boy said, "crazy old man", to the wormhole voice, "are you trying to say that I have a choice?"  "Sure", creaked the geezer, "how your life goes will depend On the choices you make - from the start to the end. Pick your lovers, just as you would pick your friends. Choosing the right career will pay dividends - Take the Microsoft offer in eighty-two. You'll have so much money, you won't know what to do!" "You are right", said the boy, "I do have a choice. But I won't make it on the advice of a voice."   The old man then thought, "I was always a dope, Ready to hang myself, given enough rope."