As promised, here is the second post for National Poetry Month.  Thank you for your patience.

The problem with my brilliant idea to write poetry for a month is that I didn’t give myself any other parameters to work with.  Just, “write a poem for the first two weeks.”  (I have a little more of an idea for the next two weeks.) 

I realized I missed a week, then I realized I had no idea what to write about for a second poem.  I thought about sharing an old poem of mine, but I really wanted you to have fresh material to read

So I tried to find inspiration for a new poem.  My children were eating breakfast – I wasn’t inspired by their scrambled eggs.  I looked outside – the clouds were cool, but not poetic, and the squirrel running by the window made me think more of a caffeinated two-year-old than poetry. 

Then I thought back a week to a nice visit we had with my in-laws (again, the reason I didn’t post last weekend.)  I thought about the trip up there and the adventure it was.

My husband and I had our two kids, both under the age of five.  We met up with my sister-in-law and her two girls – both under the age of four – and it was quite the adventure.  Both cars had a potty training toddler.  Both cars had at least one bout of car sickness.  Both cars missed a turn or had to deviate from the route for some reason or another.

Then there was Chicago.

I am a country girl.  I was raised in a small town and currently live in an even smaller town.  Big cities freak me out.  I don’t like the noise or the hustle and bustle.  And I really hate driving through them.

Fortunately, my husband doesn’t mind driving through large cities.  Anytime we drive through Chicago, he drives.  (Although, let me pause and be honest for a moment – if we are in a car together, he is probably the one driving no matter where we are.)

My poem today is from my general experiences in Chicago. 

Please let me know if you have a different perspective of Chicago.  I know there are beautiful parts of Chicago.  I flew into O’Hare once at night and wow, that was gorgeous!  I’ve eaten some absolutely amazing pizza there.  I have several friends that have or currently live there.

But Chicago?  Not for me.  And here is part of the reason why:

“Driving Through Chicago”

Stop. Go. Stop. Go.
Emergency lights –
Everybody merge right.
One mass of cars,
An amoeba of machines.

Horns honking.
Base is thumping –
Feel it a few cars over.
Children crying.
Weary workers rubbing sore heads.

Sun. Rain. Sleet. Rain.
Sudden blizzard.
White out conditions.
Back to rain.
Cold.  Just cold and windy.

Off the Interstate,
Pay the toll.
Five-way intersections –
Whose turn is it anyway?
Patience is required.

Tall buildings
Stretch into the sky
Obscuring the view
Of the rest of our adventure.
Onward we go!