"The World Would Be a Better Place If..."

-PTA Reflections Prompt from 2014

The world would be a better place
If the seven-year-old boy hadn't watched his mother take her last breath
To the sound of a machine beeping and nurses yelling about CPR
And grown up with the ghost of her smile in all his memories,
Envying the boys on his soccer team whose mothers came to every game.

The world would be a better place
If the outspoken blonde hadn't given a little too much of herself
To the outspoken boy all her friends warned her was too arrogant
And her instinct told her was too controlling
Because,
For just a few moments,
She could pretend she was needed.

The world would be a better place
If the dark-haired boy in English class hadn't found his best friend
Surrounded by a pool of crimson red blood
And a scribbled note that read
"I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore."

The world would be a better place
If the beautiful young teenager hadn't been told by her friends
"Well, you're not skinny enough for guys to like you,"
Not knowing their words would lead to a never-ending obsession
And a hospital visit they would never forget.

The world would be a better place
If the devoted boyfriend hadn't walked into his girlfriend's apartment
Only to see her and his best friend on the sofa,
Oblivious to his existence,
Offering only a brief shrug of apology in answer to his tearful question
And breaking his already-scarred heart a little more in two.

The world would be a better place
If the valedictorian's ever-present gray sweatshirt didn't hide three years of scars
Striping her arms and forcing her deeper into her self-made exile
Reminding her that her only purpose is to be smart, not affectionate
Because who could love someone who hates herself?

But, without hate,
Without despair,
Without loneliness,
Without the heartbreak that keeps us awake at night or
The angry words we spend our lives wishing we could take back,
Would we recognize love?
Or would joy be another senseless commodity,
The absence of which barely causes a ripple?