Crash

I found some notes for a poem in another old notebook - I've got far too many notebooks,  no wonder poems go astray! This one was written about 18 months ago, after my son phoned to tell me he'd written off his car. 


You phone me two days after,
Saying 'Mum. There's no need to worry.
I'm fine. But I crashed my  car.'

Worrying,
I pump you for details:
The sudden downpour five minutes from home,
The aquaplaning across two lanes,
The ditch, 
The tree.
Your wait for the ambulance
At the side of the motorway.

Only later do I remember
Your shaky voice, made croaky
By the crushing life-saving seat belt,
As you repeat mantra-like
'I'm OK. And I didn't kill anybody'.
Whether it's me or you you're trying to convince
Is not clear. 

I pack the bag
That last week held Easter eggs
With codeine, 
And try to remember 
You don't want your kids to know.  


© Copyright 2025. Chris Auger. All Rights Reserved

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