Newsletter Edition
Land of If Only Poem and Video Performance - June 11, 2009
Land of If Only
Kelly Swanson - June 11, 2009
The Land of If Only
A little story
For those who are small
With a message
Big enough for us all
If you had wings
And could fly through the night
Up past the moon
And three stars to the right
If all were clear,
Look down and you’d see
The Land of If Only
Come, go there with me
In the Land of If Only
Grass is green, just like ours
Some days bring sun
And others bring showers
There are some who are short
And some who are tall
Some who have much
And some nothing at all
Look in that window
It’s baker man Jake
Pounding the dough
For the bread that he makes
See how he’s frowning
And shaking his head
He’s never quite happy enough
With his bread
It’s too thick, it’s too light,
It’s too heavy, he’d say,
If only the dough
Would rise faster today.
If only I could work
One hour more
I could sell twice as much
Bread than before
Listen, can you hear
Clara May singing?
So clear and so bright
It’s like silver bells ringing
But sadly most days
You don’t hear a thing
Because most of the time
Clara May does not sing
You see, Clara refuses
To sing unless
She knows that her voice
Is the one they call best
If only I’d get solo
In the church choir
If only I could sing
One octave higher
If only, if only,
If only could be,
If only, if only,
Then happy I’d be
There’s Farmer Brown
Pacing this way and that
My pigs are too thin
My horses too fat
You know I’ve never
Been one to complain
But if only my fields
Got a little more rain
There’s Mr. Mailman
Singing the blues,
If only I had me
A new pair of shoes
There sits a boy
Who wants to be taller
Next door to a woman
Who wants to be smaller
And there sits poor
Little Sara McGoo
Still watching and waiting
For her dream to come true
If that one were thin
If this one not so poor
If only her wallet
Had one dollar more
If only, if only
It’s quite clear to see
How the Land of If Only’s
Name came to be
See that empty house
To the right,
The one with no mail
The one with no light?
In this house
There used to be
A little girl
Named Kara Lee
Who had one wish
And just one prayer
That she could live
Without this chair
That she’d be given
Just one chance
To spread her arms
Like wings and dance
And so she wished
And so she prayed
Whispering If only
She lived her days
And like her neighbors
And neighbors beside her
She lived a life
That couldn’t satisfy her
And then one day
There came a girl
With perfect legs
And a golden curl
Who whispered, Come,
And go with me,
To the place where If Only’s
Go to be free
And together they went
Hand in hand
Up over the hill
To the neighboring land
Where the grass is green
Just like ours
Where some days bring sun
And others bring showers
Where some people are short
And some are tall
Some who have much
And some nothing at all
For this land too
Brings days of rain
But people here
Do not complain
Or wish or hope
For that one thing more
But find something
To be thankful for
For the people here
Live for this day
And do not dwell
On yesterday
Or fret about
What might be
They put faith in things
They can not see
For though there’s not much
That they can do
To change the road,
They can change the view
And so they live
Simple and free
Not burdened down
By what could be
And that’s when
Little Kara Lee
Gripping her chair whispered
What about me?
And so answered
The little girl
With the perfect legs
And the golden curl,
To live here,
You must learn to let go
Of all the If Only’s
That burden you so
To never wish
For what you have not
To learn to be happy
For the life you’ve got
Every day you must
Make a choice
To put a smile on your face
And joy in your voice
Find a way to fill your day
With laughter
And you can stay here
In Happily Ever After
And a smile broke out
On Kara’s face
For hope at last
Had found a place
And she closed her eyes
Counted to three
Took all those If Only’s
And set them free
And there she lived
And there she stayed
And still she dreamed
And still she prayed
And let go of that
Not meant to be
And at last she lived
Most happily
And that’s why in If Only,
That last house to the right,
There sits no mail
And there is no light
We hear someone new
Is about to move in
And, alas, the story
Starts over again
In Happily Ever After
Kara Lee stayed
Until the stars came
To take her away
And now you’ll find
On the very best night
When the moon is full
And the stars are bright
If you look way up
Into the sky
You can see Kara Lee
Spread her wings - And fly
For at last
And not by chance
She finally got her wish
….To dance
Are you living in the land of If Only?
If you live burdened
By what could be
And need something
To set you free,
If this is you
Then so I pray
That you would hear me
When I say
Close your eyes
Count to three
Take your If Only’s
And set them free
For what will come
Will come despite
Your greatest effort
And your greatest might
And though you can’t always
Stop the storm
Or change the road
On which you were born
When you’ve done all
You know to do
You still have the power
To change your view
Please know you always
Have a choice
To smile through the pain
And put joy in your voice
So in this day may
You choose laughter
And join me in the land
Of Happily-Ever-After.
kcs
Note: This story is available on CD - through products page of www.kellyswanson.net or www.amazon.com.
