DETERMINATION

DETERMINATION

A teenage boy walking

On a balmy summer eve,

How much his life would change

None could have believed.

A squeal of tyres,

A screech of brakes,

The worst mistake

A driver makes.

Sirens howling and flashing lights,

Eyes with terror filled,

“Amazing he’s still alive,

I thought he would have been killed.”

Phone calls and people bustling

Theatre lights and faces masked,

“Will I ever walk again?”

The question this boy asked.

Uncertainty and agony,

Family all concerned,

Oh to turn back the clock,

This is what they yearned.

A rehabilitation regime scheduled

With daily goals to meet,

First a toe could be moved

And then two broken feet.

With grim determination

He applied himself to work,

Never missed a session,

Never did he shirk.

Days turned into months

And still he struggled on,

Hoping against hope

This battle could be won.

His family close beside him

His Therapy team close by,

Determination on their faces,

They knew they could not cry.

They watched him stand assisted

Then quietly stand alone,

One foot after the other

His task indeed was done.

Soon would be gone the wheelchair,

The crutches and the cane,

With sheer determination

He would walk again.

Gratitude to all who helped

And worked with contemplation,

This victory had been won

By sheer determination.

© Linda J. Vaughan