Had Things Turned Out Differently

Had I awoken today vacationing at the Grand Canyon,

I would have paid more attention to the sun. Where

Would the grandness be had the light not shown the

Geologic depths of reality?

Had I been jammed up in rush-hour on I-70, my thoughts

Would not have been on the plight of the Syrian refugees.

Hunger and suffering never dissipate just because you

Have to be somewhere else on time.

Had Beethoven not endured the loss of hearing, there may

Have been a few more symphonies. But then again, one or

Two fewer may have also been in the realm of possibility.

Today, had I arisen a few years younger and

More able to venture out and about, I may have filled in the

Blanks of my life somewhere in between The Grand Canyon

And Syria. I would definitely avoid I-70 between the rush

Hours of 7 and 9 AM. So, given my limited capabilities and

With a measure of gratitude, I shall sit with my infirmities

Absorbing some golden rays of light and warmth from the sun

While sipping my morning coffee, listening to what Beethoven

Had managed to compose as his symphonic legacy.

Had I been of optimal age and physical conditioning, I realize

That even then there was never anything I could have done to

Affect a satisfactory outcome over the Syrian refugee disaster.

That goddamn history will relentlessly continue to piss me off.

Chris Hanch 4-10-17