If Only I'd Had the Chance


If only I'd had the chance,
I'd have stopped it all.
The party
The cars
All of it
But I didn't…

Alcohol on his breath
We left the party
We wanted no trouble
And yet, it came
Like a shark to blood in the water

Into the car.
Buckle up.
Safety first,
Just like we were always told to.
It didn't help, in the end…

We stopped.
Rain was on the streets.
We slid.
A loud crash.
Pain…
Fear…

Bright lights,
Concerned, hushed voices.
Is he all right?
I black out.
Now, bright lights.
A hospital…

My family comes in.
So does his.
I am not hurt badly
Grim faces
He is close to death
Right on the edge…

The room quiets
He lays in the bed next to mine
A loud, long beeping sound
Tears fall
Has it happened?
Yes, he is dead

The doctors and nurses enter
They can do nothing to console us
What do they care?
I cry
So does everyone else
Tears try to flood all the room

As I look back, I cry once more
Even now I see his white face
His lifeless body
And I wonder…
How are those we crashed into?
Do they suffer, just like us?

I will never know…