ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Can I cheat this fortnight Maureen??
The prompt 'round and round' instantly bought to my mind a poem I wrote a few years back. Thought i could cheat and post it.
Our state championships in Toodyay are sponsored by Roadwise, and part of our committment to raising road awareness and safety is to run a short 16 line poem competition on a given topic relating to road safety. The topic was Fatigue. You didn't have to include the word per se, but the poem was to be about it. I wrote it driving from Geraldton down to the championships at Toodyay, and felt it was a little ironic, as I had been feeling quite tired!!

Fatigue
© Irene Conner 01/11/13

Round and round the wheels are turning;
eye lids droop - for sleep, I’m yearning.
Still ahead are hours of driving;
grab a coffee – it’s reviving!

Music cranked to keep me singing;
focus blurry; eyes are stinging.
Stop the car – fresh air inhaling.
Common sense should be prevailing.

Pushing on – time’s ever fleeting.
Cannot stop – must make my meeting.
Tiredness creeps – my eyes are aching;
close in sleep of no awakening.

Round and round the wheels are turning;
upside down, my car is burning.
Numbness now – all sound retreating;
damn fatigue – I’ve missed my meeting!!

Driving fatigue is something we've all experienced, Irene, and it's very, very dangerous. This is a timely reminder of that.

Cheers
David

Yes, better late than dead on time so they say.
I like your poem Irene.

On the subject of being late I forgot to put up the prompts

Of course you can cheat Irene - that's not cheating in my book anyway - it's recycling resources and that's a good thing and a good message to pass on as well. We have probably all been guilty at some stage of doing the same thing - just pushing on for those extra few miles. They do say that most accidents happen within a few kilometers from home.

Excellent poem, Irene!

Apart from the sobering subject and timely reminder, I like the way the statements are short and truncated - giving a "jerkiness" to the poem, which is a very apt way of portraying the jerk awake after the heavy-eyed loss of concentration.

I think we've all been guilty of driving tired, and we shouldn't. Sadly for some, they don't get a second chance.

Cheers
Shelley