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
