Never say goodbye!

Please don't drink and drive! Let's keep each other safe and alive!

My son never fought in a war

upon a foriegn shore

Though he would have

had it been his calling

He enlisted into the service

at the young age of seventeen

he became a United States Marine

He was stationed in Okinawa Japan

There he learned to become a man

With a humanitarian discharge in hand

He returned home to help his family

which was in dire need of him

from the land of the red sun

To three young sisters and a mother ill

with manic depression

With his father just out prison

for making a bad decision

of dealing drugs

running with thugs

His son still looked up to him

forgiving him his sins

His parents were soon to be divorced

but dad came down with staff infection

from his terrible heroin addiction

Mom ended up in a hospital psychiatric unit

for her bi-polar affliction

Soon his father slowly and painfully died

He stood strong by his father's side

as staff infection from a dirty needle

consumed his every vital organ

His heart, his liver, his spleen...

Near the end he softly spoke the words

"I love you, dad."

Mom fell victim to alchohol

trying to drown her memories

of a violent marriage and mental illness

that had brought her to her knees

Taking care of three young sister's

was very hard accomplishment

for a young man of twenty-one

upon returning home

from the land of the red sun

 

Robert Stephen Krempa was born 7/31/73

Sadly and tragicly he was killed by a drunk driver 4/15/07

 

 He is credited for saving the life of a little four-year old boy

named Xavier.  It was a beautiful spring evening, just a year ago

my son had just gotten off of work. He had just become a manager of his company, his box of manuals not yet opened. Ironically, he was on his way with friends to buy a car and get his driver's license renewed. It

was a head on collision, as the car he was riding in as a passenger in the back seat, was hit while waiting for a red light. When out of nowhere came the oncoming car crashing into them, Leaving my son and his friends wife to die in puddles of their own blood. The car caught fire, thank God the fireman were able to put it out in time. When I went to the young mother's funeral, I

 was thanked for being the mother of a hero. For they say that

my son ripped off his seatbelt, and blocked little Xavier with his own body, so saving the young boy from ultimate death. Months later Xavier's father who was also critically injured as was his son, thanked me also and told me that my son is his hero, too. Xavier had been scalped to where the doctor's had to sew his scalp back to his head, he will always have the scar as a memory of what occurred that day. Worst of all, he has nightmares of the accident and the loss of his loving mother. He has trouble walking due to injuries to his spine.  The drunk driver was finally sentenced, he got ten years in prison for his crime. My son and his friend had their lives taken away in the prime of their lives because of someone else's foolishness and disregard for human life. They were both sober lovingly gentle people and are sadly missed by family and friends. The small poem I wrote for the obituary. I would like to share with you it reads as follows:              

 

The world has lost

A wonderful young man

Who had the potential, the ability, the mind

And, the heart of a scholar, a teacher, a philosopher

and an author

I lost my son

Love forever and always, Mom

 

Reviews

[WritefromtheHeart]

Dear debileah...
What words of solace can I give you, dear one? You have lived the tragedy that every mother dreads to think of...I cannot say anything except convey my true sorrow at your monumental loss. Your writing has to be of some small comfort...and you share it with us here so that we may give back to you some of the love in our hearts...many blessings to you, you are in my thoughts and prayers.

[James K. Blaylock]

I'm so sorry for your great loss, but I believe that you shall see your loved one again... after this life is said and done. My heart goes out to you and anyone else who has to suffer this awful loss.

jkb

[DeAn]

wow, the tears are making it hard for me to write this, but I must say you have done great honor by words here for his spirits revival in your memories. I too caught glimpse of the hero you have painted here and given me the chance to meet and I must I am thankful to have met his mother.

you make our nation proud. and by nation I mean our heritage my friend.

namaste awaho kind one.

-Tao

[ganymeder]

What a beautiful poem. I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm glad you had someone as lovely as that for a son while you had him.

My sympathies.

[Ralphy]

This is such a beautifully written poem filled with emotions, understanding, and loss. Honestly, I hate to cry, or allow my sensitive side to surface, but in poems like yours, I cannot help shedding tears.
To loose, anyone that shares your heart has such a powerful consequence but to be able to write about it with such passion of love is purely a beautiful thing. To share your son's life and dying times with us was such a unique experience that bonds us as humans. His heroics were a blessing that gave new meaning to the unknown. To save Xavier life within seconds of his own, gave the child a chance of life he would have never had.
With all your writes, they are beautiful and full of a mother's heart and wounded soul that is mended in a double stroke of a pen�.Thank you for taken me there Debileah, Ralphy

[Siddartha Beth Pierce]

This I can understand as all the ills you have mentioned with the exception of heroin addiction have touched my life in one way or another through family and friends. You speak well and eloquently - truthfully from the heart. I know it is difficult to live with the death of your son but he lived and died heroically if that is any consolation. Thank you for sharing such depth.
Light,
Siddartha

[Krishna]

This struck me as really well spoken, it felt like the kind of thing that you would hear at a spoken word event, it was fluid and the rhyming scheme really helped. I won't comment on the actual topic, because it's outside my realm of experience and almost my ability to empathetically understand....

[R J Askew]

I imagine 10 years inside means 10 years inside in the US. In the UK, sadly, someone taking a life through drunken driving might get say 4 years and be out in say 2. Of course 10 years or 4 years or 40 years does little to heal your hurt.

What strikes me about your unhappy story is that you son was a bright spot for you. He sounds like he was a credit to you and the apple of your eye...he joined the marines, rather than some street gang and he stood by a father who gave his family reason to perhaps reject him, and he did a heroic deed when the chips were really down. It strikes me your son had a big heart and was a person of honour and decency who thought of others at key moments in his life. Respect. And may you find some peace for yourself after all you've been through.

[Dawn Jones]

Wow, I am so sorry about your son. I am sorry that tragic things like this happen in the world... and good people like your son are lost while people like the man who hit them get to live. It sounded like he was an angel in human skin. I am sure he's earned his wings.

[John B]

that poem has left me speechless and that does not happen much. Your son sounds like a true hero and a remarkable man, and thesse words are trbuite to that

[Imperfection]

I can't think of anything to say.
No words can comfort you.

Your son was a brave man, Debileah.
And you're being brave too. It must have been hard to write this down. But you did.

Your son saved Xavier. You never know how many lives this piece of writing might save.