Speeding

You look down at your shattered feet
And lying on the ground
Is the body of your only brother,
Once filled with love, profound.

Behind you, as you had predicted
A siren fills your ears.
The crushed car fills your vision
And your eyes well up with tears.

How were you to know
It was your brother on the road?
You just had to get home to sleep
Or you thought you might explode.

So as you passed a sixty sign
You sped up to eighty-eight…
Your eyelids, they began to droop
And you fought to stay awake.

And as a person crossed the street
You swerved and slammed your brakes.
But you forgot to miss that tree…
Well, everyone makes mistakes.

Your brother had tried to move away
To free your pathway through…
And now, you stumbled out of the wreck…
You saw his face and knew.

You recognized that haircut
And the half-smile on his face.
And as you crouched beside him
You gave him one final, last embrace.

You pulled a cell phone from your pocket
Though you knew it was too late -
You dialled for emergency…
Now you had to wait.

Behind you, as you had predicted
A siren fills your ears.
The crushed car fills your vision
And your eyes well up with tears.

You watch as people crowd around
Your brother, now so still.
And all your hopes are crushed
As someone hands you a pill.

“We’re sorry sir, you called too late.
We tried our best to save him
But there was nothing we could do…”
The man’s face was very grim.

“Take this painkiller, it’ll help.”
He shoves it down your throat.
Without waiting for a reply
He wraps you in a coat.

“Get in,” he says, “and get some rest.
We’ll be at the hospital soon.
You look all right, but we have to check.
You should be out by noon.”

It’s been a year since you’re brother died…
And every 4th of May
You stop, and you remember
How your speeding made you pay.

---

[This is my way of pointing out the dangers of speeding, or driving when drowsy. Careless driving could kill anyone, and as above - it could be someone you know. This poem is not a personal experience.]