the s.u.v. lay on its side, the middle of i-10
short time ago a family was laughing (that was then)
short time ago a mother, father, child was alive
short time ago the damn thing rolled, and now it’s on
its side
_____________________________
·
i
was traveling east-bound, from destin to tallahassee,
and somewhere around quincy
i saw traffic, backed-up, on the other side of the highway.
·
the
vehicle appeared to have rolled several times.
it ended up in the middle of both west-bound lanes. the windows were all blown out, and it was
obvious that every quarter of the vehicle had come in contact with
highway. the debris was all over the
highway, with clothes, toys, and bodies on the road. west-bound traffic was completely stopped,
and it was going to be a long while before anything was going to be moved.
·
three
police cars were already on the scene, and an ambulance had already arrived,
but things looked really bad. i’m pretty
sure that there was another car, off of the highway, in the ditch.
·
all
of the cars on my side of the highway slowed down as they passed the
scene. a couple of people had stopped
their cars on the right side of the highway.
i wonder if they had witnessed the accident.
·
i
drove past, and remembered last june’s death scene (at chocktaw beach).
·
i
said a prayer for the bodies, the friends, the relatives, and for all those
that would be affected.
·
now,
as i sit here at home, i’m still shaken-up.
·
how
many times have i barely escaped death?
how many times have i driven recklessly?
how many times have i driven drunk?
how many times will i have to see death scenes before i savor every,
single moment of healthy life?
·
i
need to express myself, and i need to let all of this stuff out… before my time
comes. it could come any day, and it could happen at any time.
[1] matino, j. (6.23-2.2003). that was then. book 19: evoL . copyright 2024 by j. martino.