A poem by David Whitney
It happened in a second
No prior warning. just surprise
Sue’s face one side had fallen
Right before her husbands eyes
She tried to utter something
But the words just failed to come
Her left arm didn’t want to move
Her left leg still and numb
Her husband knew he had to act
The panic was extreme
Each minute past was vital
As he analysed the scene
His wife looked so pathetic
So helpless and so weak
There was nothing she could do herself
She couldn’t move or speak
Her husband all but dragged her
To their car that stood outside
The clock was ticking loudly
His life futile if she died
He drove fast to the hospital
Two miles that seemed like ten
In his urgency he stalled the car
And stalled it once again
All the while his hopes were fading
Till he saw the nursing crew
They were swift to work their magic
They knew just what they should do
And with time and understanding
And with physio and care
Sue gradually became the wife
He thought no longer there
FAST action surely saved her
Face, Arms and Speech and Time
Four words that he’d remembered
That threw them that lifeline..
