For Peter Who Was Critically Injured By A Drunk Driver Poem by Raj Dronamraju

Cracked ribs and a broken neck
Crushed collarbone and blood dripping out of one ear
Fractured skull, internal injuries

Peter went to a birthday party earlier in the evening then he came home then he went back
Peter standing with a friend outside a cafe when a drunk man backed into them
Peter falling beneath the wheels of the drunk's car

Peter under 24 hour sedation
They put a metal plate at the base of his spine
But they are not doing anything else
He is not expected to pull through and it might better for all if he didn't
His mother whispered his name in his ear and tears appeared at the corners of the eyes of a comatose son