A Stitch in Time by Elizabeth Keogh

A Stitch in Time
by Elizabeth Keogh

Step back to the day
When he stepped into the street.
Meet him there. Call his name.
Tell him you came all the way
From 2025,
Missing him, grieving him,
Wanting him alive.
The driver slams the brakes on,
The car begins to slide.
You see him turn a little slow,
You love him, want to tell him so
But have to turn your face away
Before the two collide.

Step back to the moment
When he walked out the door,
Before he went too far;
Before the street and then the car.
Talk to him, call his name,
Tell him just how far you came.
You see him wave your words away,
Ignoring what you have to say,
And walk into the street.
You have to close the door;
You cannot stay to see him meet
The same fate as before.

Step back to the argument
And take back what you said.
Tell him if he doesn't stay,
Doesn't listen to what you say
He's going to end up dead.
Now he takes it as a threat,
Hear him mutter, "Wanna bet?"
Catch his arm, or better yet,
Stand before the door.
Try to make him understand,
Cry and grab his trailing hand
As he pushes you aside
And stomps out through the door.
You're slow in getting off the floor
And in the fateful street outside
You hear a screech of brakes applied
And then you hear the car collide.

Step back to the time before,
The time before, the time before,
Watch him walk out through the door,
And hear the car collide -

Step back to the store.
You should have both picked up a book,
Your eyes would meet, and in the look
Both your fates were set;
Instead you turn aside.
Now you and he have never met,
No arguments, and no regret,
No street, no car and no one dead.
You never had the life you led,
But then, you never cried.

Step back to 2025
And step into the store;
You'll find a man who's still alive,
Who wasn't there before.
And when he asks you where you've been
All his life, just smile,
Take apart the time machine,
Never tell him what you've seen
But never waste your days.
This time over, when you meet
Teach him: when you cross the street
You always look both ways.

Bio

Elizabeth Keogh is a writer, poet and software developer, in no particular order. She is currently working on a series of novels, several short stories, a couple of ambitious programs and a drawing of a dragon. She doesn't sleep much. Her poetry has previously been published in Mobius and Computer Weekly.