A Traffic Accident – A Poem by Mustafa Mohamed Said

January 24, 2014

A Traffic Accident – A Poem by Mustafa Mohamed Said (PDO)

 

فَجائِعُ الدُهرِ أَنواعٌ مُنَوَّعَةٌ                 وَلِلزَمانِ مَسرّاتٌ وَأَحزانُ

يا غافِلاً وَلَهُ في الدهرِ مَوعِظَةٌ             إِن كُنتَ في سنَةٍ فالدهرُ يَقظانُ 

Every morning thousands of people in Oman leave their homes on their way to attend their business with many youngsters  gong to school.  As they lovingly part from their families with a “see you later” wave, I wonder how many of them will not make it back.

With the continued increase in road accidents and the mounting number of fatalities one should thank God every time he or she arrives home safe.  True, our roads at the moment do not look very safe with the amount of road constructions going on but the fatalities seldom occur on these roads.

Rear end collisions are frequent and I do not know how one can avoid in becoming a victim while stopping at a traffic light or in heavy traffic.  From my personal observation I found that preoccupation, negligence and disregard to safety rules are the main contributing factors leading to many of these accidents.

The accident below occurred on 18^th October 2010

Image Mustafa

 

It was a lovely, bright and sunny morn

As homes got emptied from old and young,

The father in his car blew a ‘cherio’ horn

The children’s satchels on their backs were slung

 

They boarded the school bus as an unruly crowd

Chattering and pushing to get the best seat.

Everyone laughing and talking shrill and loud

In their coloured uniforms, clean and neat.

 

Happy loving children; full of life and joy,

Carefree, unburdened yet from care and worry

Happiness overflowing from each girl and boy

Unaware that for some it will soon be a sad story.

 

For most of them school was joy and fun,

Games to play and friends to meet,

When all was over and lessons done,

Back to their bus, each sitting on its seat.

 

With funny mocking faces here and there

Their young faces aglow with joy and pleasure

They teased as children do without a care

They were their parents’ greatest treasure,

 

The sudden screeching of the brakes,

The swaying of the uncontrollable bus,

The screams of fear and the shakes,

God! Have mercy on all of us.

 

Then came the impact with a terrifying roar

As the bus ploughed into a stationary car,

It turned turtle and hurtled as it tore

Over a slope then rested on a sandy bar

 

What made the school bus to lose control?

Crash into two other vehicles; what a mess!

As it careened over the railing and then roll

Into twisted metal, gory bodies in distress.

 

The silence was broken with screams and groans

As the gathering crowd moved to rescue

The bleeding wounded crying in piteous tones,

Shocked and bewildered without a clue

 

Some lost their lives; nipped cruelly in the bud.

Most bleeding and groaning on hospital beds.

Their tattered clothes mixed with sand and blood,

And coarse bloody bandages on most heads.

 

Who can console the grieving parents now?

Who can assuage their bitter woe and pain?

Stop the parents’ tears cascading down; and how

They upward gaze and bitterly to God complain.

 

Day after day on the treacherous road is lost

A husband; leaving behind his kids and wife

Or some parents lose their only son, the cost

And burden they bear throughout their life.

 

Mustafa Mohd. Said      Ex PDO    Ruwi 23th Jan 2014

More Pakistan School Bus Accidents – For Demonstration Purposes Only!