If I Had Three Lives

Sarah Russell

After “Melbourne” by the Whitlams

If I had three lives, I’d marry you in two.
The other? Perhaps that life over there
at Starbucks, sitting alone, writing – a memoir,
maybe a novel or this poem. No kids, probably,
a small apartment with a view of the river,
and books – lots of books, and time to read.
Friends to laugh with, and a man sometimes,
for a weekend, to remember what skin feels like
when it’s alive. I’d be thinner in that life, vegan,
practice yoga. I’d go to art films, farmers markets,
drink martinis in swingy skirts and big jewelry.
I’d vacation on the Maine coast and wear a flannel shirt
weekend guy left behind, loving the smell of sweat
and aftershave more than I did him. I’d walk the beach
at sunrise, find perfect shell spirals and study pockmarks
water makes in sand. And I’d wonder sometimes
if I’d ever find you.

Sarah Russell
First published in Silver Birch
Winner of the Poetry Nook contest
Republished in Autumn Sky Poetry Daily

61 thoughts on “If I Had Three Lives”

    1. Thanks, Ali. I loved that line too when I heard it in the song “Melbourne” by the Whitlams. But the line read “If I had three lives I’d marry her in two.” I wrote the poem for my husband, and I liked the pronoun change that made the line universal. You can find the song on YouTube. And thanks so much for mentioning my poems on your blog. Much appreciated!

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  6. Life is filled with what ifs…..and the possibilities of that other life is endless ~ Love your share and nice meeting you at D’verse ~

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    1. If I had three comments,
      One would laugh at the self dream of
      One would smile at the one you are
      and the last would compliment all the fun phrasing.
      Ooops, I guess that is four, because of my own above.

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  12. I love this sooo much!!❤️ The emotions, the tone, the mood of this poem reaches out and tugs at the heartstrings.. and makes one wonder.. what if we had this chance.. would we do it all over again?.. Most gorgeous write!❤️

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  13. Sarah, this is beautiful, but I have come to it via this week’s quadrille post over at dVerse, and it’s not a quadrille. Perhaps you meant to post on Open Link Night from last Thursday? I will remove from the quadrille post. Please feel free to reshare over at Open Link Night. 🙂

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  17. Oh I loved the line: “wear a flannel shirt
    weekend guy left behind, loving the smell of sweat
    and aftershave more than I did him.” That is a great line! and it is good to read the back story to this.

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  19. Oh this is beautiful… I keep saying that there’s a part of me living a parallel life on a beach somewhere being everything I’m not right now…you found all the words for it!

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  23. Someone posted this on Twitter yesterday, that’s how I found you and this beautiful poem. As of now, almost 20,000 likes. I hope that turns into more people enjoying your writing like I have.

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  24. This is a wonderful poem. I am living that third life, happy, enjoying myself, but there is that wistful part of me wondering if I will ever find “her”.

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  25. Pingback: Dacă aș avea trei vieți - Catchy

  26. This poem came across my Facebook feed and stopped me dead in the midst of my rapid scrolling to read and re-read it, bringing me to your site and other works. I can smell it and feel it when I read it – thank you for capturing those feelings so simply and beautifully. “to remember what skin feels like, when it’s alive” Yes.

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    1. Thank you! It was originally posted about a year and a half ago by someone I didn’t know on Twitter without my name. I think they got it from my book, and of course, every poem in a book isn’t signed. Thankfully the first comment asked who had written it, and the woman posted the whole bio from my blog. It took off from there and went around the world. Now I know what can happen when something goes viral! I’ll check out the latest on Instagram if I can get in. I don’t do any social media except Facebook. And hey, thanks for signing on for email! I only post when I’ve had a new poem published or when another poet publishes a poem that blows my socks off, so you won’t be inundated with posts.

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  28. Hi Sarah,
    Your poem is so evocative, I saw it on a facebook post and tracked down your site. I have always loved the three lives line in “Melbourne” by the Witlams and your poem is a wonderful extension of this. Where did you hear the Witlams living in Colarado? I will definitely check out your book.

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    1. Thanks so much, Iris. Here’s the backstory. I have a writing buddy in Melbourne, Australia. I was at a low ebb in my poetry writing and ideas, and I sent him an S.O.S. asking for a prompt. He sent me a You Tube of the Whitlams song “Melbourne” and said his favorite line was “If I Had 3 Lives I’d Marry Her in Two.” When I read it, the poem wrote itself, but I didn’t have the last sentence. I put it away, picked it up the next day, and had the last line. Of course, I had to spruce it up a little, but it was all there.

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  29. I discovered this poem roughly a month ago and have found myself returning to it several times each week since. The concept of possessing two additional lives and contemplating how I might ‘spend’ them has captivated me. Though I’m profoundly grateful for and love my current life, the poem has led me to believe that a lack of regrets may also signify a lack of imagination regarding alternative life paths. This idea of exploring different lives through imagination is a fascinating aspect of the poem that continues to engage and inspire me.

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    1. Thanks so much, Steve. I think we may all daydream about “what if’s,” even in the happiest of lives. If an aspect of a “what if” becomes paramount, I think many times it can be incorporated into the life we’re happy in. I support my husband’s “what if’s,” and he supports mine. It makes both of our lives richer.

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