If Only

Lyrics

If only I could see

the light shining in your eyes.

If only you could know

you're the one who gives me strength.

If only I could be

the reason for all your smiles.

If only I could tell

I love you more than anyone else...

but life,

life ain't ever fair...

it takes away too soon

all you care about.

And now,

now I'm forced to think of you;

nothing more than a memory

tearing me apart,

as I close my eyes...

If only I could see

the light shining in your eyes.

If only you could know

you're the one who gives me strength.

If only I could be

the reason for all your smiles.

If only I could tell

I love you more than anyone else...

Reviews

[William Liston]

So poignant and true ... I could relate to almost every word. I love the repetition and simplicity of this piece and how they convey the speaker's grief and longing. I also enjoyed the word flow in this piece ... every syllable seemed to dance from the page ... I rarely see it when free verse does that. Overall, a very strong poem.

- William Liston

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Thank you so much, William! I'm glad you liked it but sad that you could relate as per the subject..
Your appreciation means a lot to me ☺

[Hi]

I appreciate the contrast here; the strong transition of "if only" to "never fair" and "I'm forced" back to "if only". It makes the questioning almost seem futile.

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Thank you for your thoughts here! Truly appreciate it ☺

[Giulia King]

Lovely poem, Yumna! I can picture Coldplay singing this :)
"If only I could be
The reason for all your smiles
If only I could tell
I love you more than anyone else" Beautiful!

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Thank you, Gullia! Wow! Compliment indeed! I'm glad you liked it ☺

[Giulia King]

I'm too kind, I know lol. You're welcome :)

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Too kind? I would say too sure haha just kidding 😂😛

[Giulia King]

No, no just kind :)

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Yeah right! Thank you for your kindness here 😂

[Giulia King]

Haha, you're welcome!

[Mary]

Having experienced intense grief myself I can tell you that the emotion in your poem is spot on. In spite of its intense sadness, "If only" is healing in that it brings to the surface those emotions we tend to feel privately, after everyone has gone home. Your poem has a wonderful flow to it , being wistful in the first stanza, followed by the sucker punching line "But life,
Life is never fair
It takes away all too soon
What you care about " and its equally emotional follow up "And now,
Now I'm forced to think of you
As nothing more than a memory
Tearing me apart as I close my eyes" concluding again in wistfulness. Your use of repetition and flow paints a vivid picture of the grieving process in action, which many of us can relate to. Beautiful work! added to my favorites.

[Dr. YumnaKay]

I've been trying to write lyrics on and off and this one here is one. It's actually got a music to it too which I composed..
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this one and for liking! Truly appreciate it and much humbled..
Missing someone can be hard at times..

[Mary]

post your recording if you can

[Dr. YumnaKay]

I'm thinking about that yes ☺