I could have saved a life that day, But I chose to look the other way. It wasn't that I didn't care, I had the time, and I was there. But I didn't want to seem a fool, Or argue over a safety rule. I knew he.d done the job before, If I called it wrong, he might get sore. The chances didn't seem that bad, I've 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 a chance, I closed an eye, And with that act I let him die.

I could have saved a life that day, 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 to share. If you see a risk that others take, That puts their health or life at stake, The question asked, or the 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, But I chose to look the other way. —Courtesy of Don Merrell, J.R. Simplot Company,