If Only
people
spoke of the living
like they
speak of the dead.
Just
imagine:
we would all go around declaring
how
wonderful everyone else is;
how
kind they are;
how,
even in spite
of
outward appearances,
their
hearts are made of gold.
People would
cherish urns
of
dandruff and nail clippings;
forgive
each other almost anything;
treat
each bad word as sacrilege.
Everyone
would go out of their way
to
attend the birthday parties
of
distant relatives, declaiming it
the
right thing to do.
Just
think:
living
itself would become an achievement.
The
news would be a rolling dispatch
of
everyone who made it through the day,
and
when they died
we’d
realise
that they
weren’t that great anyway.
by Joshua Seigal
In the light of the poem above, ask students to write out a list of their own 'if only...' statements. These could be as heartfelt or as whimsical as they wish. This could form a list poem in itself, or students could take one of the ideas and develop it further, imagining the consequences if their desired scenario came to fruition. Here are some interesting approaches taken by students in one of my workshops:
If Only (By
Naqeebah, Year 11)
If only…
We were
able to go back in time,
Like how
they do in the movies.
Go back
into our past
But only
our own past.
Just
imagine:
We could
change the sad times
Into happy
times
We could
stop the pain
We could
change our actions
If only
we were able to
Go back
in time
We could
change our past.
If Only (By
Omaima, Year 7)
If only
I could make good wishes
If only
I had friends like fishes
If only
I was the best
If only
my house was near the west
If only
I could fly
If only
I could see the entire sky
If only
I could cover the east
If only
I could have a ginormous feast
If only
I was good at winning
If only
I could make the earth go spinning
If only
the world was only about me
If only
I was the famous one to be
If only,
if only
I don’t
want to be lonely.
