For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
the saddest are these: “It might have been.”
~ John Greenleaf Whitter
I heard that saying as a child and came to
experience the full meaning of it in terms of
missed opportunities with women.
Sometimes I’ve thought about these
women and wonder what might have
been.
Like the beautiful red-haired teenage
girl I danced with at a YMCA teenage
dance and was too shy to talk to
because I was tongue-tied by her beauty.
Like the lovely blonde-haired woman
who kept talking to me at an
outdoor event and I was too dumb to
realize she was into me. I wonder
what might have been with her too.
Like after I went on a double date
with a friend and his date, and
my date wasn’t interested in me,
and years later when I’d returned
home from the Air Force I found out
his date had had a crush on me, but
she was married, and it was too late
to find out what might have been.
I’ve had too many miss opportunities,
what might have beens. If only I could
do a rewind and start all over again.
Bob Boyd
