Wild Ride

Palindromes One of our wildest, most memorable family sagas involved my reckless brother, a racecar, a warm spring day, and a non-adventurer, me. I warned, “Pop said stay home today and mow.” “Sometimes Pa’s a sap”! he scoffed. “When I race, I always win top spot—safely,” he boasted. I wondered about the stats on car racing and wrecks? I strongly suspected kayak racing was safer, but I got in! He practically deified his souped-up coup with a near-prayer: "Race fast, safe car!" When we raced his rivals, my terror level was 12--on a scale of 10. Was it a cat I saw almost lose one of its nine lives as every tenet of sanity was abandoned? Later, he bragged, “Now I won fair and square, Brother. Name now one man who’s better. Stop shaking! You’re fine!” I said, “Oh, I am? Refer to the huge wet spot on my seat!” Date: September 21, 2018 Contest Title: Playing with Words under Fire Sponsor: Caren Krutsinger Date: April 23, 2020 entered in Wild Poetry Contest Sponsor: Anthony Slausin