Open Letters to Good Drivers

 To the Steady Car on the Freeway

It was late

And I’d been driving all day

On the very last leg

Of a road trip.

You drove the perfect speed.

You stayed steady and true.

What a relief to relax in traffic

And follow your lead!

To the Sports Car that Didn’t Tailgate

Sporty cars on mountain roads

Make their impatience known,

Can’t resist fast curves,

Are loud in sound and deed.

But not you!

You hung back a respectful distance

And only closed the gap 

As we approached a passing lane.

To the Minivan that Played it Cool

You know how it goes:

One erratic vehicle brakes for no reason,

Or cuts off traffic,

And the wave of breaking spreads down the highway.

But the buck stopped with you!

You absorbed the shockwave, saved us all

From traffic borne of nothing.

To the Driver in the Parking Lot

You didn’t know I had a backup camera.

You didn’t know I’d had an awful day,

An awful year,

Was at my loneliest, most isolated.

You saw the truck that made my exit tight

And jumped out of your car to help direct

And waved me on my way.

I had a backup camera. I didn’t need your help,

But oh, how I needed it!

Don’t laugh, kind stranger, but I cried the entire way to the supermarket.

To the Patient Motorcyclist

We were at a crawl.

You were in front of me 

I saw it all.

You could have squeezed through between the lanes.

What kind of hero are you, that you patiently waited?

It was 15 years ago 

And I still think of you sometimes.