STRANDED!! 



"Come to my house for supper," my friend said to me.
"We'll have pork chops and rice and a nice cup of tea."
To get there I'd have to cross Columbus Drive,
What a challenge!  I just hoped I'd still be alive...
To tell someone about it, it would be quite a feat
Should I all by myself manage to get across that street.


The traffic that day was exceptionally heavy,
The cars and the trucks seemed to race,
My friend waited patiently on the opposite side,
With encouragement lightening her face.

I took a deep breath and said a small prayer,
My two eyes were glued to the light,
When it changed, I cautiously stepped onto the road,
Making sure there were no cars in sight.

I walked as fast as I could, never taking my eyes
Off the light that had shown I could go,
Three lanes were behind me, three lanes were before me
When I heard myself mutter, "Oh, no!"

The signal had changed and I found myself standing
On a small slab of granite, two by four,
The onslaught of traffic reappeared from all sides
And descended on me with a roar.

I clung to the pole that the granite was holding,
While my legs grew incredibly weak,
My forehead was beaded in a cold sweat,
My anxiety reached a new peak.

I clung to that pole like some half-crazed drunk,
All I lacked was the bulbous nose,
The vehicles passed within inches of me,
I instinctively drew up my toes.

My friend, all the while, had fears of her own,
She could see I was in a bad way,
She hoped I would cope, that I wouldn't dash
And make the front page the next day.

Three minutes I waited for the damn light to change,
Three minutes of great trepidation,
When it finally did, my feet took on wings,
And delivered me to my destination.

Once safely across, relief made me sway,
And also to curse and to swear
On the ones who decided ten seconds would suffice,
They certainly weren't thinking clear.

I'll not soon forget how I clung to that pole,
While traffic assailed left and right,
I'll probably laugh about it some day,
But I assuredly didn't that night.

By Eileen Power
� 1988 
   








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