We speed along always ready to swerve,
Someone overtakes you they have a nerve.
A harsh word spoken you give the finger,
Feelings of hate and rage begin to linger.

Without a thought you take to the chase,
The next thing you know it becomes a race.
No thought of safety for you or others,
Nearly hit a car could have been mothers'.

This race you say you will not lose,
To pass left or right you cannot choose.
Left you go that lane is going faster,
A woman in the way you must get past her.

You glance to the right looking for a space,
Turning to the front brake lights in the face.
What now you think there is no way to stop,
Slam on the brakes you hear a sickening pop.

The tyre has burst you skid and spin,
A fearful thought will this car be my coffin.
The last thing you see as you hit a car,
Is the child's eyes looking scared and afar.

You wake up later in a hospital bed,
With broken legs and a cut on the head.
You ask of the child with fear you cannot hide,
The Policeman approaches and says she died.

You see the parents mourning their child,
All because you saw red and drove too wild.
In court you are guilty of culpable homicide,
How long in jail that is for the judge to decide.

Although this is a story it could happen to you,
Think when you drive that is what you must do.
A lot more people will end up as patients,
Until we learn to drive with patience.

Copyright © Martyn Manley 2000
All Rights Reserved

This poem was published in the September 2001 edition of CAR magazine in South Africa.