Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Moonlight Ride

It was Jenny’s first day to school.

On the first day of school, everything went great.
She made new friends and even got a date!
She thought, "I want to be popular and I'm going to be,
Because I just got a date with the star of the team!"

To be known in this school you had to have a clout,
And dating this guy would sure help her out.
There was only one problem stopping her fate.
Her parents had said she was too young to date.

"Well, I just won't tell them the entire truth.
They won't know the difference; what's there to lose?"
Jenny asked to stay with her friends that night.
Her parents frowned but said, "All right."

Excited, she got ready for the big event
But as she rushed around like she had no sense,
She began to feel guilty about all the lies,
But what's a pizza, a party, and a moonlight ride?


Well the pizza was good, and the party was great,
But the moonlight ride would have to wait.
For Jeff was half drunk by this time.
But he kissed her and said that he was just fine.

Then the room filled with smoke and Jeff took a puff.
Jenny couldn't believe he was smoking that stuff.
Now Jeff was ready to ride to the point
But only after he'd smoked another joint.

They jumped in the car for the moonlight ride,
Not thinking that he was too drunk to drive.
They finally made it to the point at last,
And Jeff started trying to make a pass.

A pass is not what Jenny wanted at all
(and by a pass, I don't mean playing football).
"Perhaps my parents were right....maybe I am too young.
Boy, how could I ever, ever be so dumb."

With all of her might, she pushed Jeff away:
"Please take me home, I don't want to stay."
Jeff cranked up the engine and floored the gas.
In a matter of seconds they were going too fast.

As Jeff drove on in a fit of wild anger,
Jenny knew that her life was in danger.
She begged and pleaded for him to slow down,
But he just got faster as they neared the town.

"Just let me get home! I'll confess that I lied.
I really went out for a moonlight ride."
Then all of a sudden, she saw a big flash.
"Oh God, Please help us! We're going to crash!"

She doesn't remember the force of impact.
Just that everything all of a sudden went black.
She felt someone remove her from the twisted rubble,
And heard, "Call an ambulance! These kids are in trouble!"

Voices she heard...a few words at best.
But she knew there were two cars involved in the wreck.
Then wondered to herself if Jeff was all right,
And if the people in the other car were alive.

She awoke in the hospital to faces so sad.
"You've been in a wreck and it looks pretty bad."
These voices echoed inside her head,
As they gently told her that Jeff was dead.

They said "Jenny, we've done all we can do.
But it looks as if we'll lose you too."
"But the people in the other car!?" Jenny cried.
"We're sorry, Jenny, they also died."

Jenny prayed, "God, forgive me for what I've done
I only wanted to have just one night of fun."
"Tell those people's family, I've made their lives dim,
And wish I could return their families to them."

"Tell Mom and Dad I'm sorry I lied,
And that it's my fault so many have died.
Oh, nurse, won't you please tell them that for me?"
The nurse just stood there ~ she never agreed.

But took Jenny's hand with tears in her eyes
And a few moments later Jenny died.
A man asked the nurse, "Why didn't you do your best
To bid that girl her one last request?"

She looked at the man with eyes oh so sad.
"Because the people in the other car were her mom and dad."


This story is sad and unpleasant but true,
So young people take heed, it could have been you.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree to what poem wants to convey - ignoring elders advice to have fun can be devasting, but heart breaking end. As parents, kids and dieing all words have strong association with us, having all three together makes one depressed. Big price to pay for one lie, which I feel most children would have done at their age to explore new experiences. Why do children lie or manipulate? question which we need to ask ourselves, why did we feel need to lie? Whom do we share truth with always? Where do we feel need to manipulate? Are we born liers or we learn?

Think!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hello buddies,



It was a great poem and a fact too….

We are not born liers, but the situations make us liers.

At times telling a lie help us and at times it creates problems for us and our families both…

Never lie… be frank and always speak truth…

Anonymous said...

Hey hey wait....
Let me tell which are the things that make us to tell a lie.
Only one thing that is fear.

The children lie due to the fear of his parents.

So I think parents should create such environment with children that it will never tell a lie.

Anonymous said...

This story cites the harsh fact of today’s so called ‘modern’ civilization.



Our modern age has the fastest speed, the civilization would have ever had.

But this has a speed and not a velocity, since it lacks direction.



Not only the young generation but all need to take a serious note of this fact.



The young generation is slipping out of hands with a so-called idea of “free life”

A life free from chains of any bondages (of religion, faith, one’s duties towards society); but is strongly clutched up in the wicked chains of vices. What an irony!!!



This kind of incidents not only happens in western world but has started even in a religious and pious land like India.



The only reasons being: unnecessary freedom given to kids, generation gap, less attention paid to kids, media, etc. Media plays a strong role either in uplifting or degrading any society. The stronger to media is the atmosphere in one’s home. The values that pass on from parents to children.



This story is not only about telling a lie, it is more about the values lost.

The moral of the people have gone down.



We have lost the direction. And the only solution is we need to go to our basics.

Tolstoy said to Gandhiji: “Go back to the religion. Religion is the force”.



Our culture has a lot to give.



Looking back to the story: The only reason for that happening is loss of values.



Let us all take a step further to check this in our own-selves and in our own homes and vow to lead a moral life.

Anonymous said...

Only constant is change, we started from Stone Age and today we are in age of Super Computers. If everything around is changing, and we humans are responsible for the CHANGES, then how can we expect our children or us not being influenced.

What I strongly feel need of the hour is to find approaches to effectively live in this continuously changing world. Easiest way out in the world is blaming others, instead adults need to talk, build healthy relationship with children, and make them responsible decision makers, rather than instructing them what Not to do.

I feel in the poem parent would have RECOGNIZED child’s feeling, UNDERSTOOD her and then EXPLAINED what could be the consequences of going on a date or given another option instead of denying the child, then it as child's choice to decide. 'Curiosity kills the cat' same is with children, you say no and they are more eager to do. We need to BELIEVE, TRUST, RESPECT, LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY our Children and EMPOWER them to be RESPONSIBLE, CREATIVE, THINKERS, grow HIGH-SELF ESTEEM and CONFIDENCE to handle CHANGES.

What would you want your child to be a thinker who can find his paths or confused human where he IS TOLD WHAT NOT TO DO but doesn’t know how to live a balanced life in a continuously 'CHANGING WORLD’?