Looking Back

If only I had listened

When you tried to tell me

What was going on

In your heart and

In your mind

The blackness

The endless sense

Of falling into

The bottomless pit that

Swallowed you up

Again and again

If only I had been there

For you

When you reached out a hand

In supplication

Looking for a road that

Would lead you out of

Oblivion

And the hell

That consumed your every

Thought

Of every day

Regret is the most painful

Of emotions

Of could haves

Would haves

Should haves

Seen perfectly clearly only

From the perspective

Of hindsight

If only I had been a better

Person

A better

Friend

You might still be alive

To remind me of that

Today

#IfOnlyCameTrue #poetry #challenge