Paramedic’s Poem
What's Your Name? I'm already going to lose you. I don't even know your name. In a world of flashing lights The sounds of glass and steel breaking free, For those few minutes, you belonged only to me. It was I who cut your shirt away To see your broken ribs Watching you labor with each breath As you fought to live. It was I who wiped the blood away When it pooled in your eyes, It was I who watched your heart beat As the Jaws freed you from your car. When we finally freed you, I was still there as we ran To the back of the ambulance, It was I who held your hand. The sounds of the sirens Rang loudly in my ears I looked for some small sign, Your lack of response renewed my fears. I breathed for you when you could not, I compressed your chest when your heart wouldn't beat. I prayed for you with each failure, I did not want to see defeat. I finally had to walk away Knowing the battle had been lost I saw your father in the hallway, One look, and I saw the awful cost. I gathered my equipment together, And I finally learned your name. Only 21, I said beneath my breath, My friends, I feel so drained. Your blood alcohol came back zero, The driver of the other car did not. He was alive and breathing, No witness to the battle we fought. I don't know how to say good-bye We never really said hello, But a piece of you is with me Everywhere I go.
