I Wish

I Wish

I wish I were there

To hear man's first word,

Or to see with what flair

In battle he fought with his sword.

I wish I could have seen

How the pyramids slowly grew

Or how life would have been,

Living in ancient Rome, or Greece, too.

I wish I were present

When Arthur ruled Camelot

When one was a king, knight, monk, or peasant,

And a scientist was not worth a lot.

I wish I were there to see

Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel,

Copernicus developing the heliocentric theory

Or when on Newton's head an apple fell.

I wish to have been there

When America was discovered by Columbus.

There wasn't a moment to spare

As the Spanish and English colonized the coasts.

I wish I could have witnessed

The progress of the Industrial Revolution,

Or when the Age of I Wish . . . started,

Bringing us the computer, a life-changing invention.

And how could I

Not want to be there

When man first set foot and eye

On the moon's terrain.

I wish I could know

What the future is like,

Whether peace, unlike now,

Will dominate and reside.

I wish I could see

If Earth would be

A land of beauty and safety

For you and me.

I wish I could know

If women will be presidents,

Or if I Wish . . . will grow

And everyone will use robots.

Thinking about the past and future may

Make me wish I could be there

But like the old Latins used to say

"Carpe Diem" meaning live in the moment: here, not there.