The Last Stop

A cops last stop.

 

Laying on my back

I stare up at the dark sky

Pain rushing around my body

This was supposed to be a normal stop

Nothing more and nothing less

Hand out a ticket and be on your way.

But no, you had to grab that gun

And Fire it as if I wasn’t human

I’m not an animal nor a beast.

How could you be so cruel?

Now I lay on my back wondering if

I’ll see another day.

See my children and wife…

Watch them smile when I walk through that door

I wonder if I’ll make it.

To you it was just another fight

I wonder if you care

How would you feel if you were me?

So you have a cold heart?

Do you even care that you just shot a human?

It seems like you don’t. Your speeding off

Probably thanking god your not going to have to pay

A 50 dollar ticket.

I can feel my life draining and wonder if anybody would care

Of course my wife and children would

But would those who I served and protected care?

Those who made fun of us getting a coffee when they where behind us also getting one?

Shockingly we’re just like you. But instead of jumping in our cars and

going to our office’s

With out a care in the world

We pin a badge to our shirt... carry a gun and meet dangerous people all the time

Now with my final thoughts wondering if you care I close my eyes and bid you goodbye.

 

Author's Note

Something i wrote awhile back

Reviews

[Siddartha Beth Pierce]

Oh what a moving tale. Those last moments captured with such elegance. This reminds me of a song by the Bare Naked Ladies in which they say 'You are the last thing on my mind.' Which means to me not that I am not thinking about you but like the person in this poem that you are the last thing I am thinking about in those final moments - children and wife. Nicely penned. Very thoughtful.
Light,
Siddartha

[Wildfleour]

We sometimes take for granted the sacrifices made by our local heroes. I think you captured the real person behind the uniform quite well.

[Deborah Leah Krempa]

A sad scenereo but speaks volumes of what often happens in real life. A very well written piece. Thank you for sharing. Debileah

[x]

Such a heavy subject matter for one so young to dwell on. I'm sure there are many out there that do care a great deal but it is always good to be reminded of the sacrifice that these young men make in order to keep the streets safe for everyone.
Congratulations on being brave enough to bring that to our attention.
But my wish for you would be that you didn't need to be aware of such things but instead had the joy and freedom of youth upon you.

[KonxOmPax]

Very sad story that prolly happens more than we realize. I respect police officers, soldiers, etc. for putting their lives on the line (although I disagree with the sense of elitism that's grown around police officers and the military) and more for those they don't even know. It also goes to show petty people can be and how many of us do not value life; receive a 50 dollar ticket or shoot a police officer, whose just doing their job, and run?

[deleted]

Wow this is heavy! It is a very dark poem but it was very well constructed. I was absorbed in every word and thought that you presented. This is a very inspirational piece. We shouldn't take for granted those who risk the happiness of their families and themselves everyday. Well done/excellent read!

[Scott S]

Having just retired from police work after nearly twenty years, this poem hit home for me. It is disturbing to say the least.....and sadly this sort of thing happens far too often. I thought you did a good job portraying the Officer's last thoughts as he slipped away, and the fact that the general public often takes for granted the thankless job that officers have. Adding the wife and children to the mix made it even more haunting, albeit effective. Nice job, Shelby.

[Kate]

this really gets me. My mom's a dispatcher & I call the whole station my extended family.
It's a chilling tale of one's last thoughts...Very nice :)

[Sean Allen]

Very powerful writing here my friend. We can only imagine the thoughts that go through an officers mind as they approach us sitting in our cars because of a burned out taillight or a wrong turn.

[M. D. Soleil]

This is great, I love how true it is. You did a great job of making it emotional. A few lines toward the end sort of stumbled, too many syllables maybe, but the flow you started out with still carried through. I'm not sure whether this was on purpose or not, but the longer lines toward the end make it seem like he is struggling to cram in all of these thoughts before he dies. Overall, great poem.

[The Elder]

As a former cop who made a great many traffic stops, this piece moved me deeply.
I'm glad I chose this one to review.
Well written, thoughtful and sincere. A fitting tribute to the many officers who have died in just this way while serving their communities.
Thank you for writing this one.