Slinky and Highway Truth
I woke in the backseat ‘cause sleeping is what I did - -
I hid when we had a many state, family vacation drive.
Daddy said that this time, we would drive straight thru five.
I recall Mama’s hair back was flat, Sis leaned on her lap
and I could tell for sure they were sleeping like that.
Brother was pressing his back window with his face,
his nose smearing glass, his amusement surely in place.
Dad was focused on a radio baseball game.
Seeing all was good, I found my travel toy case
for safe car play. In no time, pretending took me away.
Then crazy-bad action attacked and blurred.
“WHAT IN THE WORLD!”, I several times heard,
many horns HONKED with urge, then cars CRASHED, SWERVED,
two BANG converged, others went BOOM, BUMP up a curb.
Sirens blared, well-lit, brakes were hit, Dad cussed a fit,
Mama and sis stirred. Mama murmured something like ‘absurd’,
before Dad let loose the worst of his really bad words.
Quickly, I let go of the toy I was holding out my window.
Who knew Slinkys at eighty miles per hour weren’t simple?
Then, without uttering a single concern,
I faked sleep as though I’d never emerged.
For hours my parents could be heard wondering
what had caused traffic to be so disturbed
and thanking God their sweet kids weren’t hurt.
... CayCay Jennings
March 8, 2017
Copyright © Caycay Jennings | Year Posted 2017
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