The Accident

The Accident

A little red Ford Festiva
A black Mercury Monarch
When they collided it was like
watching a slow dance.
Splintering glass makes a piercing sound first
then changes to a tinkling sound as the glass begins to fall.
I couldn’t hear their screams because my own erupted as I watched in horror.
I’ll never forget the exact moment I heard
the brakes squealing as the dance began.
When the horrid sounds stopped there was a deafening silence.
Her white blouse now speckled like a red-dyed Easter egg.
His shirt dark with blood as a free flowing river formed down the car door.
The police arrived with flickering lights invading the silence,
beacons telling everyone all would be right soon.
In less than a moment the ambulance arrived, it too had beacons.
The doors opened and the inside of the ambulance was blindingly white
How ironic it soon would be splattered blood-red.
I found myself wondering why they bothered
to make it look stark, white, clean.
The EMT’s worked quickly, almost reading each other’s minds.
Funny, how I noticed the left wheel of the stretcher wobbled.
I knew it was taking these people to safety,
Yet, it drew my attention as it rattled across the pavement,
the sound seemed earsplitting.
It was the first real thing I’d been able to focus on since the accident.
As everyone walked away, the cars looked like metal caskets.
I was glad to know they were empty.
I smiled at the woman—
One of those sickeningly sweet-everything will be okay-kind of smiles.
Cars passed us as if nothing happened,
slowing only to catch a glimpse.
From the corner of my eye I noticed
nobody had taken the trembling dog.
I never saw him until now,
A frightened basset hound.
The police car is leaving.
The ambulance will follow.
What will become of the dog?
He is wounded, not in body but in spirit.
I ask the policeman and he kindly
takes the dog with him.
The last thing I saw as I walked away,
big brown eyes
looking back at the metal wreckage
before he lowered his head.
The doors close, and the ambulance pulls away.