He was drinking at a party last Friday night.

Someone offered to take him home but he said, “No, I’ll be alright.”

As he got in his truck and fired the engine up,

He thought, “There’s no way I could be drunk, I haven’t drank enough.”

Charlie never knew, as he pulled out of the drive,

He was about to change many peoples’ lives.

The light ahead suddenly wasn’t green.

This intersection was about to become the accident scene.

Alcohol had made Charlie’s reaction time slow,

And his brain didn’t register the change of the light in time to know

That two cars were about to collide,

Instantly killing the driver and the girl on the passenger side.

When the cars connected, he was filled with pain

All over his body and inside his brain.

He was filled with guilt and began to cry,

And wondered why he didn’t let someone else drive.

Eventually, the cops came to take him away.

First to the hospital, then to a jail cell to stay

For the life sentence the jury had given him.

He never forgave himself for this sin.

 

He was watching the baseball and basketball game last Friday night.

His wife asked if he needed anything and he said, “No, I’ll be alright.”

He watched his wife and daughter walk out the door,

As they headed for the supermarket store.

He never knew, as they backed out of the drive,

That going to the store would change all of their lives.

He continued watching and was disappointed when the Cubs lost the game,

But he should have known by now, some things will always remain the same.

He turned off the T.V., and heard knocking at the door.

“May I come in?” asked one of the officers on the porch.

His blood ran cold, as he saw the officer’s face.

He could tell he brought unpleasant news, and began to pace.

The officer said, “There’s been a car accident, your wife and daughter instantly died.

But the person who caused the accident still survived.”

He couldn’t believe his ears, and his blood boiled with rage.

He wanted to kill this man; torture him; let him rot in a cage.

And now after his son came back from the movies with his friends,

He'd have to tell him that his family's lives had come to an abrupt end.

The officer continued, “Your son, Charlie, is responsible for the crash.

He decided to drive home drunk. He received a concussion and whiplash.”

How could he forgive his son

For the horrendous thing he had just done?

He found it impossible to put his emotions into words.

This was all just a bad dream, and completely absurd.

All of this was just the darkness before the dawn.

It took a few years, but he moved on.

He even founded an organization to show,

It’s better to be grounded than to kill someone you know.                         

 

I was going to the store with my mom last Friday night.

I was feeling a little sick, but I assured my mom that, “I’ll be alright.”

I hurried down stairs and gave my dad a hug,

And then proceeded to the front door and gave the handle a tug.

I never knew, as we pulled out of the drive,

That this trip was going to end our lives.

It was a pretty normal car ride,

Just listening to the radio and sitting on the passenger side.

Then halfway through an intersection, with another car, we met.

Although my mom tried to avoid it, the road was just too wet.

That night we died simultaneously at 9:37.

We now watch over our family in Heaven.

More than anything, I want my brother to know that he is forgiven,

And that I am happier than I ever was when I was livin’.

People still visit my grave occasionally.

Just to tell me how things are going, or to say hi to me.

And not once, since that Friday night,

Has anyone had to see the same gruesome sight

Because the decisions teenagers have made have been right.

And every year, candles are put a light

On the anniversary of our deaths,

The same night we took our last breaths.