A younger sister and her friend--
Kelli and Kate--
come to visit the older sister,
Diane.
So excited,
sixteen and driving
so far from home
without parents
to visit her sister at college
for the first time.
She thinks,
what will it be like
when I go to college?
Will people drive to
visit me at school?
Kelli and Kate
almost make it to see
Diane.
Kelli dies on impact.
Kate has awhile to think
about the afterlife
and her pain
and Kelli
before she passes.
The woman who hit them
must be thinking a lot, too.
Was it my fault?
They swerved into my lane,
but is it my fault?
I hear the helicopters and
the police cars from
The computer lab.
I wonder what happened
in this sleepy town to
cause such a ruckus.
The family comes to town
to mourn with the older daughter
Diane.
They eat at Pizza Hut.
Their eyes are bleary,
they pray together at the table
before eating hour-old buffet pizza.
What did the waiters think?
They know about the accident.
“They were so young.”
How did they respond?
Kelli’s funeral is on my birthday.
I didn’t know her,
nor do I know her sister.
I am thinking a lot, too.Labels: Poems |
Name: Ruthie