I Chose to Look the Other Way.

I could have saved a life that day, 

But I chose to look the other way. 

It wasn’t that I didn’t care, 

I had the time, and I was there. 

But I didn’t want to seem a fool, 

Or argue over a safety rule. 

I knew he’d done the job before, 

If I spoke up, he might get sore. 

The chances didn’t seem that bad, 

I’d done the same, He knew I had. 

So I shook my head and walked on by, 

He knew the risks as well as I. 

He took the chance, I closed an eye, 

And with that act, I let him die. 

I could have saved a life that day, 

But I chose to look the other way. 

Now every time I see his wife, 

I’ll know, I should have saved his life. 

That guilt is something I must bear, 

But it isn’t something you need share. 

If you see a risk that others take, 

 That puts their health or life at stake. 

 The question asked, or thing you say, 

 Could help them live another day. 

 If you see a risk and walk away, 

Then hope you never have to say, 

 I could have saved a life that day, 

 But I chose to look the other way. 

 by Don Merrell

donmerrell@hotmail.com