The One Who Had Potential, Part Vi
VI.
It came at night, from a local precinct;
Whitney and one of her friends was in jail.
They’d robbed a gas station and shot the clerk,
suspects for murder, and there was no bail.
Miles quickly ran down to the station,
before the left Martina made a call,
she rang Father Thomas, explained the mess,
knew that Miles could not deal with it all.
Thomas found him there, sitting on a bench,
looking at nothing with a thousand-yard stare,
he’d just learned Whitney had done the shooting,
his face was a lifeless mask of despair.
Thomas sat beside him, looked at the man,
said,”Miles, what happened in not on you.”
Said Miles,”Why not? You said to save her,
it seems that screwing up is what I do.”
The priest put an arm around his shoulder,
said,”My son, you moved mountains for that girl.
No parent could do more for their child,
it’s not your fault thing the way things did unfurl.
“I know what you’re feeling, since as a priest,
I’ve seen countless souls I thought I could save.
I’ve taken the time, tried to teach them things,
even steered a few away from the grave.
“But others I thought could be something more
just decided they’d rather be evil,
and try thought me might, we cannot undo
the fact that every person has fee will.
“You tried with Whitney, more than I thought you would,
but in the end that girl made her own choice,
We cannot chance that, but now I do see
that in the past some bad words I gave voice.
“I once thought you nothing more than a thug,
goodness within you I just could not see,
but I watched you build yourself to manhood,
so I’m begging you now to forgive me.
“You created a home, made a whore honest,
had the strength to leave ghetto-like behind,
how many of your old friends are now dead,
or rotting in a cell, serving their time?
“I know that right now you feel you have failed,
that you could not do right by your sister,
but the gifts she had she chose to throw away,
and the decision lay only with her.
“I pray you keep in mind what you have done,
a good man like you is something special,
Don’t let tragedy make you lose sight of
the fact that you’re living your potential.”
The last words hit hard, and Miles felt tears,
but they were tears that he truly had earned,
he could do nothing more for his lost Whitney,
and to Martina he had to return.
He married her, bought half a dealership,
to a better suburb they moved to stay,
Miles is still there, living his best life,
with two young kinds and a third on the way.
Copyright © David Welch | Year Posted 2020
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