My Brush With Death

My Brush With Death

"See you later!" I called
And wrapped my scarf around tight
The cold winter chill
The icy breath of the night
Wrapped around me
And still
The smile that stretched far
As I ran from a friend
To the warmth of a car

The moment before
How stupid of me!
Why do I run when it would be so easy
To slip and to fall
Which I did
And I slid
On the unstable ground
Spinning around and around
'Till I looked up and found
A van

Towards me it came
Like a lion in the night
My hands went to my face
Pressed against my ears tight
As I waited for the hit
That I knew would come soon
My body tense and shaking
My mind aware of my doom

Then it hit me like a force
Of confusion and more
The relieved and reassuring laugh
Of my friend at the door

I stood up to see
So happy to believe
Not close enough, yet too close,
The halt of the van
And embarrassed, I ran

Once across I stopped
To turn and to wave
Just to make sure
That I was okay

"See you later!" I called
And wrapped my scarf around tight
The cold winter chill
The icy breath of the night
Wrapped around me
And still
The grin that stretched far
As I ran from a friend
To the safety of a car