IF ONLY I COULD

IF ONLY I COULD

If only I could hold back a tear, I would
   Knowing the loneliness of the eye in which it dwells;
If only I could a plant a sweet smile, I would
   Knowing the thirst of the parched lips on which it dwells.

The rest of the world is busy planning a future
   If only I could wipe out from their lives a lonely past;
We pause for a moment and cast a sympathetic look
   If only I could cause that look, till eternity to last.

If only I could I lend a weeping shoulder, I would
   Knowing the diminishing strength of the destitute hand;
If only I could encourage them to live on, I would
   Knowing that, bravely and with a smile, with them I would
stand.

Life seems for them a desert of thorns
    If only I could soften the monstrous and weary range;
So let us resolve, one and all, and on this day
    If only I could. No, we should, at least one life to change.

~Azhar~
July10, 2003

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