I Chose To Look the Other Way

I could have saved a life today,
But I chose to look the other way,
It wasn't that I didnt care,
I had the time, and I was there.

But I didnt want to seem a fool,
Or argue over a safety rule,
I knew he'd done the job before,
If I spoke up, he might get sore.

The chances didn't seem that bad,
I'd done the same, He knew I had,
So I shook my head and walked on by,
He knew the risks as well as I.

He took the chance, I closed an eye,
And with that act, I let him die,
I could have saved a life today,
But I chose to look the other way.

Now every time I see his wife,
I'll know I should have saved his life,
That guilt is something I must bear,
But it isn't something you need share.

If you see a risk that others take,
That puts their health or life at stake,
The question asked, or thing you say,
Could help them live another day.

If you see a risk and walk away,
Then hope you never have to say,
I could have saved a life that day,
Instead, I looked the other way.
       

-Don Merrell