Death on the road

We piled into the car Caleb and Mom in front, me in the back We weren't planning to go far A nearby arboretum off the beaten track. We went north, there were many cars each way Saw a motorcycle downed, someone’s luck had failed Amidst the empty southbound lane, there it lay A journey interrupted, a life derailed There was a police car, yellow tape and debris Turned out the driver was badly hurt, but not dead Still, I couldn't shake the vision when we walked among the trees Of his narrowed future in a hospital bed I read up on him later, a harried man in much debt How it all happened, nobody quite knows They've cleaned it all up, how soon we forget How in an instant, so many doors can close We walked the boardwalk through maples and pines My family smiled; Mom was proud she could do it all I couldn't shake the subtext between the lines. So many differences before and after that fall. Twenty walkers a day died last year; a fate not deserved The drivers must feel guilt that can’t be shed My brother’s friend tried a U-turn but another car swerved His fiancé was hit, said “Goodbye “and was dead. Too many have departed on the roads we travel through Last year 6000 motorcyclists lives abruptly ended 42000 car drivers met their last rendezvous And as we all know, death can’t be mended. I visited the parents of a Christian friend They impressed me as warm and kind Then I heard that while driving they met their end He was too old; he didn’t react in time. I hope human innovation can solve the problems it creates Perhaps the answer is the self-driving car It's hard to give up control, but sudden danger waits We don't need more reminders of how fragile we are.