I don't know any happy
super rich people -- a
friend of wealth once
told me: "See all this,
a huge property and
home, dripping gold
gilt, "I have nothing...."
I thought, myself spared
leaving, as I gave my vehicle
the usual primer finessing of
the gas pedal, before it would
prayerfully start --
Of course, having spent much
of my life with those suffering, I
have dried many an impoverished
tear, and know no joyful hungered
belly --
I often conclude, the best of my
blessings found somewhere between
two hells -- bellow the peak of
Supreme Religious Zealots, just above
The Valley of Heretics -- best years
recalled, are middle-age....
God's grace and love independent
of experience or knowledge --
Having abundance is opportunity
to better the lives of less fortunate
others....
Mass destruction
in a three second span
Shorter than the thought that passed,
I rolled my eyes and it was gone
We weren’t even falling short
We missed the mark entirely
Stalling at the gas pedal
Shattering your expectations in a glorious fashion
Drive before we think twice
The thought will fade anyway
Mass destruction
in a three second span
Shorter than the thought that passed me
as I rolled my eyes,
and everything was gone
Swerving in and out of lanes without
A care in the world. Great, now you cut
Into mine! Did you bother signaling?
Of course, you didn't. The impatience!
The rudeness! Flipping birds? Really?
Feuding with time could prove costly,
So ease off the gas pedal; stop baiting
State troopers. Reduce speed; you're
Heading home from work, or an errand,
I suppose, because the sun is setting.
Are you recreating "Fast Five" scenes, or
Living dangerously at motorists' expense?
Well, the highway is no NASCAR track!
I'm rather surprised you don't rack up
Speeding tickets, or do ya?
How about this; head to your destination
Half an hour early. Yeah, try that for a change!
Stay in your lane, slow down; you're begging
For an accident, the fatal kind. And quit
The road-raging! Should you even be driving?
Anti-Poem – “At Pinks With Little Susie”
maybe if we hold hands the dizziness will go away
little susie be driving a ‘62 gray pontiac grand prix
she say driving is easy once you get the hang of it
tan nyloned legs caress the gas pedal with mettle
flying fast now she stops at melrose and van ness
susie say she feels sick and thinks it’s the roadkill
i just hit something bad she say it ain’t alive now
maybe if we play parcheesi all day it will go away
my problems be like sticky ants she say they stay
susie parks the pontiac in a shaded lot on la brea
she says she wants a pinks hot dog and a yoohoo
cool guys with duck tails and taps hang out there
their scarf-wearing chicks smoke filter cigarettes
susie thinks life is a vicious monster with no eyes
it just attacks and kills everyday and everywhere
susie say her hot dog tastes good tastes like love
will you marry me susie i says suddenly laughing
maybe if we marry all the bad things will go away
little susie be driving home now holding my hand
I wonder why I put myself through so much anxiety when I was growing up
My foot would reach for that gas pedal like my life depended on it
The car would run across Orchard
The song of choice would take every breath and throw it in front of me
I would think of everything
I would think of all the screaming
I would think of all the pain that would choke me at night
I would think of all the people who didn't know how they were affecting me
I would think of all of the times the little girl would be hiding under her bed
It seems almost as if my soul knew that It was better for me to get everything out back then
It seems almost as if my soul knew that it was priming itself for the monster who would come around
Even after everything
Even after I thought I found some time of peace
It seems almost as if my soul is back on this track
Every bone in my body screams to be back on that road
Often meandering,
With forks full of potholes;
The highway of life.
It's not the yellow brick road...
With Dorothy
Prancing along.
Caution must be exercised;
Gentle on the gas pedal...
At all times on our travels.
We eventually reach
Our destination
We aren't in a nascar race;
Patience is
Of paramount importance!
Life's serpentine freeway
Couldn't be more treacherous
We either obey
The speed limit
Or risk recklessly
Careening off.
"M" Contest - New Poem Only - Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Constance La France
Theme chosen: Meandering
Date written: 09/17/2021
I'm practically a ghost,
seldom seen.
I'm mounted on some traffic lights,
so ease up on the gas pedal!
You never notice me
unless your GPS is in use,
but I see you coming.
I never sleep on the job.
I see everything
day or night
rain or shine
I'm a road photographer.
I wonder why vehicles
never smile
when I take their pictures.
Perhaps they're angry
for their drivers as they know
a mailed citation letter
is a sure thing?
I'm a proud revenue cash cow.
I do not discriminate.
Rich or poor,
young or old,
I will penalize if
you exceed my speed limit!
Slow down road warriors,
or I'll bite a chunk
off your bank account!
STRAND COMPLETELY NEW (25) ,any form,any theme
Sponsored by Brian Strand (Winner: Honorable Mention)
Date submitted: 08/18/2020
It Sucks Poetry Contest(N/A)
Sponsored by Kai Michael Neumann
Date written: 08/07/2020
The highway of life is full of speed bumps and unseen peril
Heed the rules of the road; ease off the gas pedal when traveling
On a serpentine route, or risk careening off a high cliff
Date written and posted: 11/25/2018
Ah, my teenage years!
Unforgettable
The fun driving lessons
In the summertime,
many moons ago
with my dearly departed father
lingering,
precious,
magnolia-scented memories
Perennially haunting
and tantalizingly close
to recall
I fondly remember
my father's patience
through it all
Riding shotgun,
helping me
steer the wheel
with a steady left hand
"Easy now, son...easy on the gas pedal..."
"Return the steering wheel after every turn..."
Oh, I remember
those calm, silken words of his
all too well
Memories worth
more than gold;
too expensive
to be bought
Lines Of Ten That Remind You What It Was Like Back Then Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Silent One (Winner: 2nd Place)
Date written and posted: 09/27/2018
L eeping from his stupor
I van dashed out the door to his
c ar.
K eys in hand he
e yed his brand new
T oyota Supra Turbo.
Y anking the door open he jumped in the drivers
s eat started the engine, slammed it into gear and
p ushed the gas pedal.
L istening to the roar of the engine
i gnited his senses. Filled with adrenaline he
t ore down the highway lickety split.
Foot on gas pedal, tailing
ghosts in darkest hour of night,
I find a road to the past,
we once called home. I knock,
but your love is a sealed door
with broken knob. Even if
I could pry it off its hinges,
enter the hollow space inside,
silence would be my prize,
conspicuous like a tarnished trophy
thick with cobwebs on the mantle.
Since you’ve left, I hibernate
through my days, a bear
that has perished before spring.
I try to forget your countless smiles.
Distinct colors in blushing cheeks
of a smitten morning sun fade
away as she rises over blue waves
in your eyes. Most of all, I try
to forget the unique sound of your sigh,
your contagious laughter, and the way
your voice would bounce off me
like an excited child when
you said, I love you.
written 3/30/17 for Doors Contest
Stopped for a rest on my drive back home
Got out to stretch my legs
When I got back in I noticed a change
It surprised this hard boiled egg
The gas pedal was closer than it was before
A fact it made me holler
“What's going on? I'm really quite spooked!”
“I must be one foot taller!”
Now I know it's just an old expression
You don't literally stretch your legs
But for someone learning the english language
These nuances are hard to peg
“Cause if the stretching were really true
I'd soon be over eight feet tall
I'd have to build a room with extra high ceilings
So I don't bump my head and fall!
© Jack Ellison 2015
I turned the key,
pressed the gas pedal.
The motor belched
the starter grated.
“No. Not today!
I can’t be late.
I’m teaching the class.
I have to be there!”
Our three-year-old
piped up from the back seat,
“Try it again, Mom.”
The motor coughed, caught,
settled to a steady purr.
My little two-cylinder Fiat,
slow, but steady as she goes,
took me everywhere.
Again, from the back seat,
“I knew it would start, Mom.
I prayed.”
The morning seemed quiet when I got up from my bed,
The air was still, as I shook the cobwebs from my head.
I walked slowly into the bathroom to wash my face,
Work must be done and I must prepare for my daily race.
Brushing my teeth and running water through my hair,
I know this day might be good and the weather is so fair.
Streams of sunlight peer through open shades,
I walk to the kitchen, barely awake in a daze.
Open the cabinet for the coffee just inside,
I notice it's empty and then I almost cried.
I gather up my clothes, in a such a terrible rush,
The coffee helps me focus, gives my brain a good flush.
I jump out the door with the speed of lightning,
Into my truck, without coffee my day is frightening.
A few brief minutes passes by as I blaze into town,
My trucks roars down the street with my gas pedal down.
I see Starbucks ahead and my mouth is watering,
Can't wait to taste my coffee for this morning.
Roll down my window with such hast to order my prize,
I ask for a large hazelnut coffee with joy in my eyes.
I make it to work a few minutes early today,
Knowing that I made it, but only halfway.
She stepped inside my ‘49
And took that ride with me
Graveled roads life untold
To see what we might see
No fear or doubt just speed ahead
The curves are passing fast
Her crazy eyes, they don’t lie
But will this memory last
At sixty-five we took the curve
As gravel flies through the air
Fishtail ruts tested our guts
As the wind blew both our hair
Excitement bore her name that day
She never forgot at all
She wears my ring upon that string
As each of her defenses fall
Tonight’s the night we tell ourselves
Let go and let’s have fun
Another ride, no where to hide
As the gas pedal I do gun
Those days now gone by
Some memories stay behind
But for us to see some old history
Was just a test of time
Those roads got paved, we both moved along
I get back there now and again
But me and her and those graveled curves
Remind me of where I’ve been
Related Poems