| Each dawn, you rise and steel yourself to face The reenactment of the mythic race Of hare and tortoise, set in modern view: A trial by metal hurtling through space. The urban business center plots your course. Quixote, must you try each fragile spoke Against the looming bulk and careless force Of SUV’s and their impatient folk? No use to count near-misses or review How many times a predatory hulk Reels you breathless toward the curb to sulk And mutter a vulgarity or two. Perseverance furthers. Soon they’ll find Their radiators steaming, gears agrind In gridlock. Only you have room to spare, And you, the tortoise, are the first one there. Gracious in victory, you laugh about The flying beer can and the sneering shout, Forgive the glares and gestures, let them swear. The high road’s always easier to share. Melanie Houle |
If you have any comments on this poem,
Melanie Houle would be pleased to hear them.
