But since we are reminiscing
And talking about blowing the curve
I can well remember the day I did
And the crash, the smash, the shattered glass
The unconsciousness of it all
The struggle to release myself
The struggle to be free
Before the car blew up
For that’s all I knew from the movies.
I was only just learning to drive
Had my learner’s permit
And the experienced driver sat near the door
And the other young man sat in-between
And fiddled with the radio and fought with me as I
turned the knobs, as I
turned the corner
as the licensed driver
reached across us both
and grabbed the wheel and
turned it!
Turned into a rock wall
That didn’t give an inch
And the other driver of the other car
A 70 year old man
Smashed!
Into us
Smashed!
into his windshield
Smashed!
His face.
We all stumbled out
Into silence.
Dazed silence.
And then, sirens!
Wailing, screaming, and rushing in!
How I clung to the ambulance workers,
How I clung on for dear life!
The ambulance came and whisked me away
To intensive care
With my liver ruptured and bleeding.
Yeah, I blew the curve,
but not without help
and not without consequences
That linger.
~Kathie Adams Brown (2-1-10)