for Writers Island: http://writersisland.wordpress.com/2010/07/31/prompt-14-for-2010-the-journey/
Those were the days
Are we nearly there, Mum?
Are we nearly there?
Ten minutes in
to the journey,
the mother is tearing her hair.
I can see the sea, Mum,
I can see the sea.
No dear, that’s the sky,
look, and that’s a thunder cloud.
We’ll be there in time for tea.
Mum, I want a wee now;
it’s urgent, I want a wee.
We can’t possibly stop here, dear,
we’re on the motorway.
Just wait ‘til we find a tree.
Can we play I spy, Mum?
can we play I spy?
Yes, if you do it quietly,
and don’t distract your Dad.
I spy with my little eye, something beginning with Y.
Yellow yoke, and that’s a joke,
the children yell with one voice.
Mother groans
she wants to disown
her offspring, but hasn’t a choice.
I spy with my little eye
says weary Dad at last,
something beginning with C.
The caravan, the children shout,
and we can see the sea.
Vivinfrance's Blog 
Hi Viv, wanted to see what you are up to. Lovely poem of a time(or not) past. Sol very English. Just love your images. I never learned the knack of rhyming but admire the poets that can.
Wonderful poem.
Melanie
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SWAPPING! lol – sorry!
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Couldn’t resist swamming an old one of mine- I told you we think alike!
Rush
“Are we nearly there, Mum,
are we nearly there?”
Children’s voices whine.
Tense hands grip steering wheel
as distracted mother attempts
to negotiate rush hour traffic.
“Soon”, her short answer
bites. She flicks her hair,
glances at her reflection,
doesn’t see the lorry turn.
Freeze-framed silence numbs,
before brakes screech,
metals grind. Over the cacophony
a ghostly echo reverberates.
” Are we nearly there, Mum,
are we nearly there?”
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Oh, this is so sad. And it can happen just like that. My first husband was driving my Dad’s car with our two monsters in the back. They were fighting – both on their little bikes – and their father turned round to remonstrate, writing off the car by running full into a parked vehicle! Fortunately only the car was damaged.
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Cute!=P I love this poem ❤ Thank for sharing, it is sweet and nice^^~
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Thanks for your WV poem you left in my comments.You’re a girl after my own heart! LOL
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Mum/Grandma/Viv
We loved your poem. Things have changed – CD’s of James and the Giant Peach gave us peace on our last journey but we do love I Spy and ‘I think of Something’ – a bit like 20 questions. Fraser and Sally
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beautiful,
I see and feel what you see and how you feel,
what a entertaining poem!
Happy August 1st!
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Oh Viv, This rings with sweetness! A common experience…the rhythm and rhyme work beautifully. Nice! ~Brenda
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This was a fun read. I’ve never been a fan of road trips, though I’ve had at least one that turned out interesting. Great post!
-Weasel
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What a happy journey, Viv! You have captured poor Mum’s (you) exasperation and love for her excited offspring!
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Delightful! Sweet and funny, but never cloyingly so. And the simple rhyming that makes it move like the children’s chant enclosed within it. And again, Viv, I have to praise your attention to details and feeling responses. Thanks for this, it brought back so many memories of my own children, as well as my childhood.
Elizabeth
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Viv love this poem and it does bring back memories! I always hated road trips and in turn so did my daughter Ha!
Pamela
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Oh do I recall this with my own Mum! I wonder what my kids think, lol. This is a marvelous, soul catching poem, Vivian. I love it!
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This poem made me smile, Viv. It is so right-on. It causes me to reminisce about my own childhood drives with parents, plus think now about grandparenting times and the ‘alphabet game’ we often play in the car!
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Oh yes, those were the days… Reminds me of so many day trips and holidays… Is it still the same for kids…?
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