I found a scholarship from 1-800 Wheelchairs about overcoming adversity. My life has been a cakewalk compared to some people, but writing a 500 word poem about the last year of my life for money didn't sound too bad. I cranked this bad boy out as fast as my fingers could write, then tweaked it as I typed. I thought I'd try it out on you guys before I submit it. Any and all input is appreciated! Enjoy!
Crash by Shalyn Holloway
“I'm a good driver,” I tell him.
That's when I lose control
The car slides sideways,
Hits the concrete,
And sends me rolling.
My car rolls through the air and down the road
Caught by two trees
That save me from falling to my death.
Ow.
My arm beneath me,
My car above me,
I scream for my life.
Help comes finally,
The Jaws of Life push the car from my lap.
My head is bleeding,
My arm lies limp,
Pain is everywhere.
But I'm alive.
The ambulance ride to the hospital,
15 miles away,
Is the longest ride of my life.
It's 3am,
And I just want sleep,
But they make me open my eyes.
They life-flight me to Lincoln,
Where my mom and dad meet me.
Somehow I never cried,
Not one tear.
I awake after surgery,
On a hospital bed.
“We shaved your head,” they say.
My arm is bionic,
My hip is cracked,
My head is bald,
But I'm alive.
Hour upon hour,
Day after day,
Week after week
Therapy is grueling.
Stretching, scraping, building muscles back.
My hand still limp
My nerves are damaged.
They only repair themselves,
A millimeter a day.
School is the last thing I want to do,
But I do it anyway.
I find out who my friends are,
The Peru Crew always by my side.
I begin to get better.
My hair grows,
My scars heal,
My bruises fade,
My hip mends.
I walk for the first time in months,
With tears in my eyes.
I get to loose the braces one by one
Until the doctor says I'm healed.
Back to school I go!
Bogged down with 21 credit hours,
As a freshman.
The load so intense,
I'm driven to tears daily.
But I'm alive.
I spend a lot of time wishing I wasn't.
But that's just the bipolar talking.
I make lists to remind me,
Just how precious life is.
I think of the crash,
And how I survived against the odds.
I should be dead,
But I'm alive.
I think of all the time I've put into getting better
And what a waste it would be if I gave up now.
I think of my family,
My friends,
My best friend, Jacob.
I decide life is worth it,
So I stick around
And I keep fighting.
Against myself,
Against my body,
Against the odds.
Because I am alive.
I dream of my future,
To keep me going forward.
I dream I'm on the East coast,
In a museum,
With my little family.
We go to the beach,
My toes wiggling in the water,
My husband by my side.
Because I am alive.
And I have overcome.
