Cody
You didn't think
When you punched that hot pedal and
Laughed with abandon
High on life (maybe more).
(Driving stupid, you said)
We didn't know
As we hugged them goodbye, and
Helped them into their auto
What that night held in store.
You walked from the chaos
Stood there next to your lawyer, and
Your crumpled up sports car
In a different place
While NONE OF OURS WALKED!
And your minimum coverage
Won't come anywhere near
The new world that we face
(What do I want from you? Suffering? I don't know. Yes.)
You pee every day
All alone if you choose to
Just skip off to live
Like you weren't a thief
You bypassed the surgeons, the
New diet and lifestyle
The desperate longing
The shattering grief
And no young man has asked you
Why there's blood in your diaper
Or left you alone, helpless
Choking on bile
(What would fix things? There's no answer. Nothing will.)
I don't want your suffering, for
I also need Mercy
No sentence will change things
Or make this worthwhile
(Then, what? What's even the point of a trial, or a stupid poem?)
But next time you shower
And don't need your buddy
Or eat without thinking about it at all
Or brush past your Mom
(You killed Nadine. Oh, my heart.)
Perhaps you'll acknowledge
The gifts you've been given
The treasures, the blessings
And Where they come from.
(Gratitude. Amazing Grace. It saved me.
Here it is. Here's my Answer.)
And then it won't matter
If you're stuck in some prison
Or slogging along in
A job you despise
Seek meaning, find healing
Great joy, living purpose
And freedom to look yourself
Straight in the eye.
