In The Event Of An Accident Poem by RONY PATRA

An accident, a car accident, has happened quite suddenly
On the road, near the sweet shop which is feeding people happily
The contentment of the customers is broken like a brittle glass pane
They immediately rush out to save the driver who is in excruciating pain

On first sightings, nobody dares go near the wreckage
Of the Santro which at best now resembles a mangled cage
The driver, with his bloody face, hangs out of the window, half-dead
It is only then that somebody cries out, “He needs a hospital bed! ”

People rush out of their homes, offices and shops in a ton
To see the smoke-emitting damage that has been done
A multitude of people mill around the wreckage and say one thing,
“This is what happens when a person does reckless driving.”

The owner of the sweet-shop, who, till now, was watching silently
Thanks God for his luck and feeds the multitude merrily
He does not see the driver lying, half-dead, like a twisted sickle
He does not hear the dying man praying desperately for a miracle

Suddenly, flashy red and blue lights burst onto the scene
And policemen and hospital staff take stock of what has been
The hospital staff stretcher the dead body of the driver,
Cremate him, and dump his ashes into the nearby river

The next day, politicians and the public raise Cain
And want to find out why a man could not be rescued from pain
They organize strikes and protesters march downhill
And they bring normal life in the town to a standstill

Allegations of negligence are hurled thick and fast, one by one
To all the civic departments, for the reason something could not be done
Though it doesn’t do much good, as after some days
Everybody forgets about it, it gets lost in history’s haze

The sweet shop resumes feeding its loyal customers, life goes on as before
Many more accidents occur, the loss of life and property becomes more
But there is a final question you and me should ask ourselves
Are we still human, or have we become heartless elves?