It's Still Life

The Day Dad’s Car Drowned

When rain comes that fast,
there’s no stopping it.
Ice-cold water blew past us,
washing over everything.

Up through the car’s flooring,
white-wall tyres half submerged,
water on the backseat where
my boxed lunch set to floating,

and the man on the radio said,
The storm is moving away soon
in an east and north direction,

but the creek was swollen, swifter
than swift, and running faster
than a scared hare, and I thought

I heard people praying. But Dad
said it’s just fish blowing bubbles.
Nobody thinks to keep life jackets
in a car, (do they?), and I remember

it was the same day my sister ate
a big tin of Mr Peanut salted nuts.
She was sick for three days, but
Dad was sick about his car longer.

For Miz Quickly’s Day 16 Car Prompt. Image from Flickr Commons Fair Usage. CC:00 Shared with @Experimentsinfc #APoemADay on Twitter   ©Misky 2021