May Have, Could Have, Should Have Been, Lord Knows

I may have climbed Everest, but for my innate fright

of frigid cold and towering heights.

Could have been a weatherman on TV, but for the

Highs and Lows which affected me. And too there’s

always a fifty-fifty chance between right and wrong.

Should have been a race car driver, but high speed

collisions, pit stops and round-and-round on oval

tracks scare the living piss out of me.

I enlisted in the military, which at the time in my life

was best for me. But still, killing was a thing I never wished

to see, and thank God I never had to. Yet every day, I pray

for what my brothers and sisters went through.

May have, could have, should have been...Lord knows what

then was to be in store for me? Certainly no lap of luxury,

growing up in a society fraught with strife and disunity, grate-

ful nonetheless that Copeland’s Fanfare for the Common Man

was composed for the likes of you and me.

And to this day, I am elevated by the idea that my Common

Man positioning puts me in league with the rest of humanity—

no better or worse off than I needed or turned out to be.

What good would it do to complain, anyway? Besides,

fortunate am I that only one thing in my bucket list remains—

Who can say? Let’s see what tomorrow brings. Surprise,

You and I may be tied, both awarded blue ribbons for

best in show.

Chris Hanch 6-19-19