Stricken

Standing over a broken body,
Convulsing an retching,
Gasping for breath,
Gasping for life.
I just stood there, dumbly, staring at her.
What was I to do?
More people gathered ‘round the epicenter.
Offering her their care.

I stood in shock, as they took her away,
As she drunkenly mumbled her phrase,
I wanted to reach out my hand to her,
But I didn’t, and I don’t know why.
She could’ve used my words that night,
If she would’ve stayed awake.
She could’ve used my love that night,
If she wasn’t retching upon the floor.

It wasn’t her inside that body,
She’s strong, and willing to fight…
But she had been knocked unconscious,
It just doesn’t seem right…
Yes it was an accident,
A silly game mistake,
But her life had changed in a mere two seconds,
As we prayed it had all been fake.

So I stood, too shocked to move,
My nerves breaking at once,
My whole body went frigidly numb,
As I was stricken with uncontrollable fear.
Seeing her lie there, coughing, and gasping,
And I just standing by…
Trying to talk to her, to keep her awake,
She slips in and out of her mind.

“Please, God, keep her safe,
Keep her in your care.
I want to see her soft, blue eyes again,
And feel her golden hair.”
“I need her, Lord, beside me,
Even though she doesn’t know,
Keep her here, beside me,
So I can reveal it to her now.”

Stricken with fear,
Stricken with love,
Stricken with reality,
Stricken from above.
Stricken with emotion,
Stricken with grief,
Stricken with confusion,
Stricken with relief.

– Thomas Brooks ©