Yesterday

If I hadn't gotten stuck at one too many red lights,

Or waited a minute longer for a parking space;

If the elevator hadn't stopped on floor 16 before reaching me;

Or I hadn't dropped my keys as I stepped onto the roof

and paused a split second to pick them up;

If I hadn't stumbled, walking to the green railing lining the edge

of the rooftop, marking the brink of existence;

Or shuddered, looking down at the murky street below;

If I hadn't taken a moment to savor the fading taste of life;

I wouldn't have heard your voice like a dying echo behind me,

and your footsteps approaching like gunshots.

I wouldn't have felt your hand on my shoulder, anchoring me

amidst the furious whirlwind of my mind.

I wouldn't have seen your frantic face streaked with tears like

pale scars, pleading me to 'step down from there.'

If it weren't for those solitary seconds wasted,

I wouldn't have stepped down from there.