Minutes Like Hours
You walk into the store
And stride down the aisle.
You pick me up and
Try to look casual while
You carry me down
To the checkout line.
Pull out your wallet,
You soon will be mine.
Your friends are observing
Every move that you make.
The clerk asks for ID –
You give him a fake.
You quickly walk down
To the front of the store.
You hop in the car
And drive away from the shop.
Then you shut off the ignition,
And pop off my top.
You take a few drinks
And pass me around.
That’s when you decide
To take a drive around town.
You turn on your car
And put your foot on the clutch.
I’m sober, you think,
I didn’t have very much.
You pull onto the road
With me by your side,
Taking occasional sips
As you enjoy the ride.
Then the brakes on the car
In front of you squeal.
You try hard to stop,
But you lose control of the wheel.
You skid off the road,
And you know you have crashed.
The dashboard is shattered,
The windshield is smashed.
Minutes like hours,
You’re in treacherous pain,
That washes your senses,
Envelops your brain.
The screams all around you
Are faint to your ears,
As life flashed before you,
Your hopes and your fears.
Minutes like hours,
You plead and you pray,
I’ll never touch it again,
Just let me live one more day.
Your mine starts to go dark,
It falls apart piece by piece.
And then you slip into blackness,
The pain has finally ceased.
Before you entered that store,
You should have thought twice,
For I am the substance
That cost you your life.
Copyright © Jeannifer Pugh | Year Posted 2005
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