I Choose to Look the Other Way By Don Merrell
I choose to look the other way. 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 that 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 chances, I closed my 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 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."
"But I chose to look the other way."
Don Merrell worked at the J.R. Simplot Co. Plant for nearly forty years. During that time he became involved with the Safety Committee of Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers (OCAW) L.U. 2-632. He noticed almost every injury was due to unsafe conditions or risky behavior. This prompted Don to write safety poems. I hope it resonated with you.
