A LAZY SUNDAY IN SOCAL
 

A lazy Sunday in SOCAL,
nearing spring and 80 outside,
at a nice little Mexican place on PCH,
about to enjoy a beef and chile burrito;
while sitting out on the patio.

A sudden squeal of brakes,
then the sound of a crash
half block to my west.
A sudden silence in the air.

The sound of sirens fill the air,
and paramedics and police on the scene,
and the traffic is snarled, beeping horns,
and a ambulance and fire truck arrive.

Two cars smashed at an intersection,
someone trying to beat a light,
for trying to save a moment,
playing with peoples lives.

Now, in the midst of the excitement,
maybe ten minutes have passed,
then even a louder crash,
as 5 cars tangle 1½ blocks to my east.

This looks a very nasty seen,
even from so far away,
again the sound of sirens,
now going the opposite way.

It dawns upon me then,
as I think of the aggressive driver,
as I think of the impatient type,
as I think of people with no respect.

Could these be the same people,
who only the day before,
laughed and smiled at the thought,
they they would ever need an attorney.

Could these be the same people,
who were sure ONLY others had problems,
who had no need to join a plan,
I had to smile as truth settled in.

Now there were many people,
whose lives have drastically changed,
in the squeal of the brakes,
and the silence that followed.

Roads so full of aggression,
patience, there is almost none,
lives ending and changing in a heartbeat,
I smile because I have my card.
 
 

©Written by: Ed Kassirer
March 18, 2001