The Girl I Hardly Knew

I never thought it would come closer

that it would stay far away

and leave me alone

It both disobeyed and respected that wish

Because it came closer, but not too close

At first, I was shocked

I still am

She was in my Geometry class

We never talked, but our friends did

We saw each other, and that was it

No opinions, no thoughts, no nothing

We sat, learned, complained, and worked

Never knowing the other

She was driving on the highway

to a big city south of where we live

It rained, it thundered, and light danced in the sky

It’s almost sad to say that it was the same rain

I so happily played in just an hour before.

She lost control

she hit, she turned

she crashed, she burned

and died instantly

We heard about it the next day

A counselor talked to my Geometry class

And I noticed a friends of hers was missing

But the day continued on

As life often does

And I start to wonder

How many lives has she affected?

How many will mourn?

How many will grieve?

How many will look back only to ask “what if”?

How many will strive to live on,

only to find they can’t?

It’s a tough topic to cover

To put down on paper in clear words

I don’t know what I feel

It could be shock, or a light form of grief

I shed no tears

My throat won’t crack, my face won’t contort

I find myself doing the same things I did yesterday

And the day before that.

But I will mourn in my own way

I will think about her

Pray for her

And wish all those who miss her good wishes.

I’ll pray for her family and friends

Give them my sympathy

And remember her when I can.

I wish her safe passage to heaven

And pray her spirit will linger within the hearts

of those she’s touched

I wish this for the girl in my Geometry class

The girl I hardly knew

In remembrance of Theresa Peterson