There Was a Man

There was a man Who left a bar He didn't have too much to drink Or so he thought It was just a short way home And he knew the way Even with his eyes closed And they were not far down the road There was another man With his wife and kids Coming home from a vacation Or trying to But there was a man Who left a bar Driving with his eyes closed In the wrong lane Without his lights Maybe the roads were a little too slick Maybe it was just too late Maybe it was just "supposed" to happen There was an accident There came another car Filled with a man And several young men Too old to be children Way too young To deal with what they saw Or what they had to do But they got there first There was a boy Who knelt in the rain Only 12 Holding another 16 in his arms As he breathed his last breath Then he left to stop the cars That were coming up way too fast Soon he was joined by the others That had the same thing happen to them as well Help came too late Even for the baby that lived the longest No matter how hard anyone tried No one was left alive You see I am writing this Because there really was a man Who thought he hadn't had too much to drink And he really left the bar that night And I was there too Part of me died as well And part of me grew up To write this Maybe to find a way to understand And maybe just to find a way To reach another man Who might leave a bar Who thinks he hasn't had too much to drink. Ed Roberts 10/24/00 Currently my godson Rayce is working with several students from the University of Oklahoma to film an educational video/documentary based on this poem. For more information please visit https://www.facebook.com/inourtimeproductions At the age of twelve there was little I could have done to change the outcome of that night. This is not the case now.