Split Second

You shift the gear and go,
In reverse, in drive, on the road,
Another car comes, collides, crushes your car.
You are only bruised. He and his car are fine.

You retrace your steps and count your blessings,
Grateful for the split second that saved you,
But you can't help but think
That an extra few seconds wouldn't have hurt.
Why me, why now, why the damage, why the injustice?

The frailty of a second, a moment, a life
Spins your mind like the amusement park ride
You rode one too many times.
Nausea sets in, not from what happened,
But from reliving what happened again and again,
Each time imagining a different way it could have happened.

You realize you were holding your breath,
So you let it out, trembling,
And close your eyes, hoping to think of something new.