The Tragedy Fades Poem by David Welch

At twenty-three, Brett found his girl,
a green-eyed vision with strawberry curls,
a year of dating came and went,
and wedding bells the sky did rent.

Life was good, he worked as a welder,
and rushed at night, tales to tell her
of buildings built and bridges spanned,
far and wide across this great land.

But as he watched football on his day off,
while he watched the Giants, nursed a cough,
his fun interrupted by a sudden call,
and from his hands the phone would fall.

While out getting some groceries,
a trucked plowed his wife's car into a tree.
And as if just to make the situation worse,
she was just four months from giving birth…

He fell quite hard, into depression,
triggered merely by his wife's mention.
For years he took refuge in hard drink,
lost his job, and was pushed to the brink.

With nowhere to go, he moved back home,
his parents watched, they heard his groans,
and knew there was little they could do
but be there and hope that he pulled through.

At thirty, after a long stint in rehab,
he stopped the drinking, and drove a cab,
eventually moving up to a long-haul truck,
made some good money, improved his luck.

One day at thirty eight he pulled in
to a truck stop diner, for late dining.
The waitress, May, proved a friendly soul,
thirty-seven, dirty blond, eyes of coal.

After eating they talked like old pals,
then went to his rig for something else,
he got her number, and she got his,
they agreed to be friends-with-benefits.

And every time he drove on through,
each the other they hotly pursued,
it seemed to him to be all too fleeting,
and ever harder when it came to leaving.

A year went by and Brett came in,
and found a worried looking benefits-friend,
she said he'd given her something great,
fruit of the passion of his many stays.

Brett felt a fool, they were quite a pair,
like two overeager and foolish teenagers,
but as he thought of it more, it became clear,
Brett never wanted to again leave here.

So Brett married May, and their child came,
Then another a year down, more of the same!
He found himself juggling two screaming boys,
at age thirty-nine, the late nights and the toys!

But Brett didn't care, better late than never
and with May he would remain forever,
and give thanks to God whenever he prayed
for showing him that even tragedy fades…