Quick run to the store
after dark. Moon-roof open.
Windows down, driving.
Alone, I glance back.
Car-seat is empty. Not one
passenger. Alone.
The night is pulsing.
Lights fly by; I slice through them.
I lick my lips, drive.
Maybe a little
too fast? Wind licks the side of
my face, hair swirling.
Fingers tapping the
wheel. Foot tapping the floorboards.
Body keeps rhythm…
Loud music playing.
Perhaps, a little too loud?
Feeling young. Alive.
My eyes flash to the
rearview. My high school self looks
back at me, grinning.
Just for a moment.
Then she vanishes. But I
am left with her smile.
34 Comments until now
Awesome, Lotus. It’s like being there in the car with you. Except part of the point was that you were alone, but still.
Maggie’s Minds last blog post..Haiku Friday 8/22/08 - Part Four
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There is nothing like a summer night, driving with the wind whipping your hair around and the music cranked up loud.
(though I half expected to hear you were driving too fast and those lights were the red and blue type, lol!)
Suzannes last blog post..Running Around in Circles, Getting Nowhere
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Astounding imagery. And I feel (felt…no car for me here till I can learn to drive a stick) the same way when I’m driving alone at night. It makes me feel like I’m 17 again…just without the cigarette.
Lilacspecss last blog post..Weekly Winners - August 10-16
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Beautiful! And I can totally relate. Thanks for sharing this!
Makeshift Mamas last blog post..Videoblogging is hard w/ 3 minutes of camera memory.
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So good to be alone, window down, music cranking…
I do it when I can, though there is usually a surfboard in the car.
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Gorgeous!
The last stanza left me with warm shivers.
Wow.
jenn in hollands last blog post..Nothin’ But Net
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that happens occasionally to me - the glimpse of the high school self - and always makes me feel good!
monica @ transplanting mes last blog post..too good to be true
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What is it about driving fast that brings back a flash of our wilder years?
Erins last blog post..DSC03575
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Wow. Love it.
This is why I love grocery shopping after 7pm.
Karas last blog post..Throwback Thursday - First Grade
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There’s nothing like a nighttime drive in the summertime, ALONE, to make you feel younger!
traceys last blog post..Haiku Friday
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Nice read first thing in the morning…. thanks for sharing it.
Fiesty Charlies last blog post.."Marloff’s Whimsy"
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Have experienced it. Love it. Amazing how a that happens. Always enjoy your stuff. Have a great day.
Patsy Bains last blog post..Haiku Friday — Two Miles Each Day
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Don’t you just love those moments?? “Honey, I’ve just got to run to the store for this ingredient. Be right back,” translated: Freedom!!! Even if it is just for a moment!
Trinas last blog post..$5 off $20 Coupon at Walgreens!
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You were the girl I was always afraid of when I was young. The one I always wanted - but the one I knew I would never be good enough for - never keep up with - never be able to please.
But I’m glad I’ve gotten to know you now.
Lou Lohmans last blog post..Haiku Friday
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Love it!
Great ‘Ku…
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Love it!
Aren’t those stolen moments the ones that fuel us?
Traceys last blog post..Our week at a glance
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omg, so true!! you don’t really value being alone in a car until you’re a parent…nice ‘ku lotus!
janelles last blog post..Haiku Friday
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Alone? In the car? Sounds heavenly. I had a night alone in the car a few months ago and I’ll admit to cracking up some 80’s music and feeling a little piece of my high school self come alive.
Michelles last blog post..Cute squared
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Sometimes I catch a glimpse of my high school-self in the mirror, but then I see my now-self’s butt and it snaps me right back.
A Whole Lot of Nothings last blog post..While I Wait
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SWEET!!!!!
You totally captured it. Awesome awesome post!
MPs last blog post..The ABC Meme..
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I think its fun to have these momentary glances into our past selves…its like a little pick-me-up to remember life won’t always be mired down in all the stresses we’re currently living with.
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I love drives like those. Where for just an instant you aren’t a mommy or a wife, you’re young and free. I cherish those moments when they come.
Jessicas last blog post..My baby’s two
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I’m at the opposite point, I’ve been accompanied everywhere for so long I hate to go by myself anymore, LOL. I do hear you though, seeing a flash of your younger self. My daughter was watching Alice Upside Down with Luke Perry and he looks so old–then I realized I’m only 10 years younger, lol, which makes ME so old–and where did the time go? I still feel that age, no fair!
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i don’t drive here since i’ve never learned to drive a stick. when i am back in the states i can’t even tell you how much i love getting in the car and just driving. when i was back in the spring i got to drive from houston to austin all by myself. the feeling was amazing. watching the scenery and listening to the radio…sunroof open. sigh…i can’t wait to get back in november for many reasons…driving is one of them!
(since i wasn’t used to driving i did almost run out of gas…but i’ve removed that from the memory since it was quite stressful and not part of the pleasantness of it!)
natalies last blog post..Names…
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Wonderful Haiku this week - made me smile big!
Rachaels last blog post..Haiku Friday: I love my shower
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Nice one!
Amy @ Milk Breath & Margaritass last blog post..WE’RE BEING HELD HOSTAGE
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Makes me think of REM’s “Nightswimming,” which reminds me of high school, hanging out in friends’ parents’ outdoor hottubs, with snow falling on our steamy faces. Great poem.
Raging Dads last blog post..Confession: Why I killed my little girl’s kitty
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Loved this post. While I GOD FORBID have no desire to go back to high school, I do miss the carefree little thing I was back then…
manager moms last blog post..Saving The Drama For Her Mama
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You wrote that so well, I relived all those stolen moments in the car without kids all over again. And I was left with a smile!
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That was beautiful!!
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Lips turned up, a smile
I think of my high school self
I close my eyes, dream
I have come so far
When did I become so old
Tears spill past my eyes
Katherines last blog post..Green Bag Lady
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So fun! I always feel a little naughty if I’m in the car alone. Rarely happens though.
Mom24s last blog post..Bionicles
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Sorry, got submit happy, you really do “wax poetic” and now my eyes are all welled up and it is hard to see. ACK In my head I am 18 and my poor body feels 81. Gosh, can’t wait until I am 50. When I look in the mirror my young self always looks back, but when I look at my pictures OMG. Seriously? I am that old?
Katherines last blog post..Green Bag Lady
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I have those moments, too, and I cherish them. Driving alone with the radio cranked up and forgetting for a few minutes that I’m a mom is a wonderful feeling.
Christinas last blog post..Today’s Conversations
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Talk to me, beesh.