Survival Poem by Edwina Reizer

He went into the bar to have a drink.
It might help him not to think.
One drink led to two, then four.
How many more would he have to pour?
Finally, it sapped his overloaded brain
And still the memory did remain.

One false move and tragedy came.
One false move and now came blame.
A beautiful wife and three children gone.
Gone in a flash!
Gone in a crash!
How does one go on?

Suicidal thoughts crossed his mind.
The courage to do it he could not find.
And so the bottle became his friend.
He drank every swallow to the bitter end.
He saw the scene played out in his head,
Every nightmarish picture that he did dread.

The hell he was living every minute,
Was his life worth living without them in it?
They said it was out of his control.
The semi that hit them took its toll.
How to stay sane?
How to stay whole?
He was living in a big black hole.

He relied on his friends to get him through
Even though there was not much they could do.
They talked to him and held his hand.
They picked him up and helped him stand.
Just one small step
Helped him accept
That he would have to go on.

As time moved slowly through the years
He cried and wept so many tears.
He knew he would never be the same
And once in a while the thoughts still came.
But life goes on
And plays upon
Your ability to survive.