Only twenty with a life so full,
But fate to some can be so cruel.
Walking home through a darkened park,
The only sound, a dog's angry bark.

Arm in arm, happy together,
Their idyll world was about to sever.
Turning a coroner they were beset by thugs,
Intent on more than giving hugs.

They kicked Sam senseless to the ground,
Where later some broken teeth were found.
Lucy cradled his battered head,
Crying disbelievingly that Sam was dead.

Bored with kicking Sam around,
They pinned poor Lucy to the ground.
Her punishment for protecting the love of her life,
Was the six inch blade of a hunting knife.

Rushed to hospital, oozing blood,
Her raven hair covered in mud.
She clung to life a few more days,
Her mother ever hopeful as she prays.

Lucy was battered beyond repair,
Her mother with disbelief could only stare.
She dressed her daughter in her favourite dress,
In her coffin gave a final caress.

Sam survived that pain filled night,
For his love he made a plight.
To help the young away from crime,
And prevent them doing years of time.

Written & (c) John McKay Withey 2008