Sitting there upright, not moving
The seat was damp, warm and tender
But it was not how I felt, far from it
What had it been, a better part of the hour
My limbs were tired with anger and frustrations
The blaring had ceased
For a time the din was unbearable
Staccato blasts of different musical tones
Disturbing to the normal smug of dust and dirt
The mid afternoon on a clear weekend
When designs of comfort and quiet
Playing in the yearnings of wants
Of the security and warmth of family
Typical of urban living
From a 15 minute visit to the Mall
Where we were and now this!
Longing to be home
Where we would have been
Yes, I should be home
If not for this irritant
To be in this predicament
In the evil pincers of a traffic standstill
To test the patience
You couldn’t win them all
Just a slight indiscretion, knicked at the side
But oblivious to the cold stares
Two angry souls ready to even the scores
Out there arguing next to coming to blows
A cheeky few from vantage positions
Cell phone at the ready gleefully in anticipation
Should go viral on YouTube
An insignificant accident and it caused the jam!
This happened following a slight accident but it caused a standstill as the the road at that point was narrow. The situation could have been saved if both the drivers had taken their disagreement further down the road where there was some space on the kerbside. The traffic flow would not have been blocked had they done that.
Submitted for d'Verse Filling in the Gaps
ugh man....some people just need to chill a bit...lots of road rage out there...and the frustration probably had nothing to do with the accident but it became and outlet for them to unleash on someone...any one...
ReplyDeleteOh, how well I know of what you speak. You write the feelings, the experience so well.And I find myself nodding. I also realize, as I am reading various poems such as yours, how much I appreciate sometime knowing the backstory!
ReplyDeleteThe results of our "me" world. Each lives in their own space and demands that otherss enter not into it!
ReplyDeleteNice write!
http://charleslmashburn.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/hes-aggravatin-2/
Been there. Had that done to me. Bought the tranquiliser! Superb write. You bring it all back to life, wonderfully.
ReplyDeleteYou captured the mood so well. It is so frustrating...
ReplyDeleteA poem was the perfect release
It is very annoying and always seems to happen when one is in a hurry, but then what can you do, as accidents happen. Captured it perfectly.
ReplyDeleteAt least you could see the cause. What gets to me is when bad weather makes someone hit the brakes, then for half an hour later everyone who goes through that area will hit their brakes, even though there is nothing there, just because the people ahead of them hit theirs.
ReplyDeleteAnd, when you're tired and you just want to get home and if it wasn't for want of a few more feet to get clear.
ReplyDeleteI would find it difficult keeping my patience too and, I am pretty patient.
Nicely said!
Very vivid piece, Hank--and how typical that it was the selfish hostility of two that ruined the morning for twenty.
ReplyDeleteI can just imagine how irritating and aweful to be amidst the traffic esp if you are already tired and wanting to be home to rest in a comfy chair, legs up... Nice write Pareng Hank!
ReplyDeleteJJRod'z
ugh..an accident is bad enough...but if they start shouting at each other... beginning of the week i was standing on the highway in a traffic jam on the way to work for more than an hour for no obvious reason...found out later that a biker had died on the road...
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the normal "smug" of dust and dirt. There is an incredible smugness in the norm! And then we get hit with something like this. Good take on the frustration. K.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the normal "smug" of dust and dirt. There is an incredible smugness in the norm! And then we get hit with something like this. Good take on the frustration. K.
ReplyDeleteI tried to post before and it was eaten by a mobile meanie! I enjoyed the way you described the anxiety and despair that occur between drives caught in the types of snarls. I am certainly not one eho takes them easily, but your poem and the prose following it provide good advice for anyone who's been involved with road rage. I like the take you have on the prose section, using it to expand on the lesson in the poem.
ReplyDeleteHank, I believe this happens all over the world. Nicely expressed through your writing.
ReplyDeletePamela
I have seen many of these..curse of traffic. It is great to know the inspiration for the piece.
ReplyDeleteThis happens when one stands firm by his right, caring less how innocent people have to suffer in his claimimg his right.
ReplyDeleteI have witnessed a lot of these... and trust me, jams in India can be a real pain
ReplyDeleteDear Pak Cik,
ReplyDeleteDrivers are demons behind the wheels. In all instances safe driving, meaning, giving way would save a lot of pain.
Hank
happy saturday hank!
ReplyDeleteI was stuck in a traffic jam for over an hour last weekend. It definitely tests the patience.
ReplyDeleteare any accidents truly insignificant?
ReplyDeleteanything but