I would like to hold my little life
See it from some great far-off height
I wish I could turn it upside down
Watch the many colors swirl around

I would like to stretch myself thin
Doing all I can and then still more
I’d study the habits beneath my skin
And peel back the layers to expose the core

I would like to hold everything I’m worth
Weigh the value of myself each day
Like gold dug straight from the earth
I’d count it twice then hide it away

I would like to trade my little life
For one with a minor alteration
Where there is bliss in place of strife
Because I can answer every question

Then I’d trade it in again
For one that’s bright and brand new
Maybe I’ll walk with confidence then
Maybe I’ll be kinder too

I would like to hold my loving wife
try to know myself as if I were her
Do I fit into her picture-perfect life
Or is my passion lost in the camera’s blur

I would like to let go of all my weight
run backward against the wind
Let the rain wash away the last of my hate
Finally become my own best friend

I would like to say what hasn’t been said
Bring to life the holy and magnificent
But everything I know I’ve only read
I don’t have thoughts I’d call significant

I wish I could leave my life on a shelf
and try to find better things to do
Than spend all day thinking about myself
…

I’d return fifty years or so from now
Wipe off the dust and spin it around
Know my heart’s every intention
See souls and faces in suspension

There’d be a place I’d call home
and a story of how it came to be
And though today, it’s still unknown
It’s a calming place to me.

Editor: Shannon Hensley