11/16/97 Fifth November Fragments

11/16/97Fifth November Fragments

RECONSTRUCTION I

Some things we can easily reconstruct
Examining the evidence and facts:
From the one set of tire marks we deduct
The direction and speed of the impact,
From the dry condition of the asphalt
We rule out the weather being to blame
As a factor, nor was there any fault
In the brakes of either crumpled frame.

Blood alcohol levels of the bodies
Clearly demonstrate it was Driver A,
Impaired, who crashed headlong into Car B.
From the positions where the others lay,
We are sure one brother died instantly
Of a massive insult to head and brain,
In the lap of his twin. Mercifully,
We know the other remembers no pain
And was unaware of his sibling's death
Until he woke from unpleasant dreaming
(So he terms his coma), took a deep breath,
Saw his mother's face, and began screaming.

Examining his chart would seem to yield
A hopeful prognosis: he can now talk
(The aphasia was perhaps a mere shield
For the psyche), though he will never walk;
Although we cannot be completely sure
Of no improvement in mobility,
It is likely (because there is no cure)
He will accept his disability.
His mental faculties show not a trace
Of impairment (from this we can deduct
His stammer will improve). His fractured face
May prove more difficult to reconstruct.

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c. 2002 Todd Eliot