Man on the Precipice of Eternity
In seventy-eight, my steel-stallion, KZ1000,
pride, wind in my hair.
Its Sissy Bar, firm tether, bag secured,
my wanderlust's prayer.
Sun, snow, wind sculpt my journey's theme,
my odyssey untamed, my spirit free,
No car to claim, just two wheels' flight,
a bond profound, betwixt the road and me.
Leave Greencastle's eve, the welder's toil,
a tale of twilight's dire befold,
Blinking lights, a train's advance,
a moment's halt, a saga yet foretold.
Screeching car, a death-jarring shake,
rearview mirrors, dread's reflection bred.
As fate converges, metal twists,
a dance macabre, my destiny misled.
Pinned forward, toward the rails, a silent thought,
a desperate plea ensnared.
"Dearest Lord, if neath this train I must go,
let fate be swift,
or let this useless life be spared."
Suddenly, wrenching twist,
a steel's lament, the bike recoils,
my body flung on high,
Into the dark night, into the void,
'neath moonless skies,
where stars dare shy, and…
Angels cry as they watch on high…
Dazed, battered, senses reel, vision blurred,
the drunk driver looms, a specter dark,
His question asked, guilt confessed, coward's plea,
a lost soul’s slur remarked.
Surging anger, ablaze with words, I confront,
to reclaim my right.
He retreats, locks doors in fear,
a refuge found in a coward's night.
Ambulance's glow, sirens' wail, a chaos whirls,
scene in frenzy's surge.
Minutes fleeting, dreams dispersed,
in aftermath's unsettling dirge.
Pride and joy, now wreckage lain,
midst the ruin, a tale reclaimed,
Helmet shattered, head unscathed,
a guardian's unseen hold.
Roll bars and wallet, armor stout,
a soldier's shield, a guardian's plea,
Army jacket, steadfast friend, protecting,
unshredded flesh…
a testament to destiny.
A herniated disc, a fate's decree,
a stark reminder of what could be,
Yet in the wreckage, in the pain, an Angels hymn,
"To God be the Glory! Amen and Amen!"
Through shadows deep, in trials vast, a journey shaped,
by destiny's measured degree…
My Kawasaki, loyal steed, a testament to resilience,
to life's mystery.
In reverie, I ponder fate, the twists of life,
the paths unknown.
In echoes of that fateful night, a prayer answered,
my spirit at last has grown.
For every twist, each turn, each scar,
I learned that strength lies…
not in steel or car,
For life remains, a fragile thread,
a brush with death,
a lesson read,
a new life reborn.
Now the road unwinds, a winding maze,
with knee-bent gratitude,
I will forever sing His glory and praise!
Copyright ©
Daniel Henry Rodgers
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