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Poem of the Week - 'It Could All Have Been So Different' by Carole Bromley

by Yen-Yen Lu

It Could All Have Been So Different

If I'd had one more glass.
If I'd had one less.
If I'd got into that taxi.
If we hadn't held hands.
If we hadn't run, laughing, across the bridge.
If there'd been a bus at the stop.
If our bench had still been there.
if you hadn't led me down Black Horse Passage to the Foss.
If it hadn't been snowing.
If you hadn't taken off your warm gloves and put them on
       my hands.
If I hadn't cried.
If I hadn't asked you.
If you hadn't said yes.
If there's been no cab.
If the street lights hadn't looked like pearls in the fog.
If there hadn't been cows.
If, with that first match, the fire hadn't taken. 

This haunting poem of 'what if's by Bromley comes from The Very Best of 52, a collection of poems inspired by prompts from the 52 project. The project challenged writers to write one poem a week. This poem is in response to the prompt 'nearly'

The Very Best of 52 is available to order on our website. You can also try the 52 project challenge for yourself with 52, a collection of all the prompts from the project, also available to order. 

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