Your mom texts your phone

“11:11 make a wish”

She’s done this every day

Since you could remember.

You’re eating lunch at school

You shut your eyes

And your mind wanders.

“I wish I could graduate already”

 

But there are two times in the day where it is 11:11

Two sides of the same coin.

Two opportunities to have your wish come true.

But neither went as planned.

 

You were daydreaming about the 11 dollar shoes you saw.

You were 10 minutes away from your house.

You were annoyed you had to leave a party early to pick up your little sister at 9.

You shuffled through 8 songs on the radio.

You picked up your phone to see 7 notifications from your boyfriend.

You had 6 months until you could legally drive with passengers.

You swerved 5 times trying to fix your hair and drive with one hand.

You ignored your sister after she told you to buckle up 4 times.

You honked at a driver 3 times after he cut you off.

You were tired and dozed off 2 times.

1 wrong move and this was bound to happen.

 

Yet you had 11 chances to change your fate that night

And each time you chose not to.

 

Your actions resulted in 1 fatal night.

You stopped 2 seconds too late.

You and your dad will never share 3 scoops of a banana split again.

That mom and her 4 kids were on their way to see a movie

Until your cars collided, metal and glass flying in 5 directions.

You never did make it to your house on 6th street.

Because your carelessness took 7 lives.

Your freeway speed shouldn’t have started with the number 8.

Your little sister never got the chance to turn 9.

Your mom never got your “I’m home safe” text at 10.

You will never see 11:11 again in your life.

Your sister will never see 11:11

That mom will never see 11:11

Her children will never see 11:11

 

And you wish more than anything that you could take it all back.

You wish you could wrestle with the hands of time.

You wish you could have seen your sister fall in love.

You wish you could have graduated.

You wish you could have grown old.

You wish your mom could have texted your phone one last time.

 

But the reality is that you can no longer wish anymore

Because it’s not 11:11