T’ was 8 years ago
that my husband and I
Shopped for my car
After my Focus had died
We hit the first dealership,
Saturn, it was
The Astra caught my eye
I liked it “just because”
“What questions do you have?”
My husband asked while scratching his head
“I need to know one thing” I offered
Does this baby come in red?”
“No, no” he said clearly
“We have to analyze
All the stats and the numbers
It could be a lemon in disguise!”
He took me to Moncton, Fredericton
And everywhere in between
Months went by
And every car, I had seen
“Which one do you want?
Which one beats the rest?”
“I want the little red Astra!
It still suits me best.”
I returned to the question
I had asked at the beginning
“Does this baby come in red?”
No more cars for my testing!
And so, I won out
The little Astra was mine
A better car for 8 years
You never could find
Over a quarter of a million
Kilometres she drove
Through snow, sleet and sunshine
My Astra never dove
But then in this last year
The car started to falter
The rear wiper stopped working
The window wouldn’t bother
The lock stopped popping
The kids squished on one side
The light stopping lighting
The radio began to die
And then last Friday
As I was bombing along
The hood started lifting
Something weird had gone wrong
The strut had broken loose
And was driving up the hood
I screamed out in alarm
“This cannot be good!”
Perhaps I was seeing
Something that wasn’t there
I yelled at Ben to confirm
Was the hood really there?
“Yes, Mom, your car is crap”
He said matter of fact-ly
“It is time to say goodbye”
The car was fried badly
Now to tell my husband
It was time to go buy
A new car for me
Before much time goes by
I warned him this time
I will not go all over hell
I can handle it this time
My efforts would tell
He hesitated knowing
That my style of shopping
Is unorthodox and specific
Showing no signs of stopping
You see, the last time
I bought a computer just for me
I came home with a laptop
So pretty and green
“How much RAM?”
“What processor?”
“How big is the screen?”
“What software was installed?”
“Where has it been?”
I shrugged with a smile
And offered “damned if I know”
He blinked his eyes audibly
His mind about to blow
“What did you ask the store
When you bought this new thing?”
I offered, grinning widely,
“Does this baby come in green?”
As I scoured the internet
Over the weekend
My husband stood back
Trying not to see the end
He feared I would buy
A car based on colour
And offered suggestions
If I was willing to bother
“How about all wheel drive?
What about warrantee?
How many miles, kilometres
Or storage will there be?”
He was doing his best
Not to drive me crazy
He wasn’t a pest
And he sure wasn’t lazy
But I refused to allow him
To join me for a test drive
I was bound and determined
That I run my “car life”
I found a sweet ride
With 7 passenger seating,
Warmed up front spots
and steering wheel heating
I called him and screamed
With all kinds of delight
“I have found the car I want!
I think it is right!”
I could tell he was bracing
To question me just right
“What did you ask the dealership” he posed
I said … “DOES THIS BABY COME IN WHITE?”
"CARpe diem"
Maggie
No single coping strategy will take all the pain away
Try anyway
that my husband and I
Shopped for my car
After my Focus had died
We hit the first dealership,
Saturn, it was
The Astra caught my eye
I liked it “just because”
“What questions do you have?”
My husband asked while scratching his head
“I need to know one thing” I offered
Does this baby come in red?”
“No, no” he said clearly
“We have to analyze
All the stats and the numbers
It could be a lemon in disguise!”
He took me to Moncton, Fredericton
And everywhere in between
Months went by
And every car, I had seen
“Which one do you want?
Which one beats the rest?”
“I want the little red Astra!
It still suits me best.”
I returned to the question
I had asked at the beginning
“Does this baby come in red?”
No more cars for my testing!
And so, I won out
The little Astra was mine
A better car for 8 years
You never could find
Over a quarter of a million
Kilometres she drove
Through snow, sleet and sunshine
My Astra never dove
But then in this last year
The car started to falter
The rear wiper stopped working
The window wouldn’t bother
The lock stopped popping
The kids squished on one side
The light stopping lighting
The radio began to die
And then last Friday
As I was bombing along
The hood started lifting
Something weird had gone wrong
The strut had broken loose
And was driving up the hood
I screamed out in alarm
“This cannot be good!”
Perhaps I was seeing
Something that wasn’t there
I yelled at Ben to confirm
Was the hood really there?
“Yes, Mom, your car is crap”
He said matter of fact-ly
“It is time to say goodbye”
The car was fried badly
Now to tell my husband
It was time to go buy
A new car for me
Before much time goes by
I warned him this time
I will not go all over hell
I can handle it this time
My efforts would tell
He hesitated knowing
That my style of shopping
Is unorthodox and specific
Showing no signs of stopping
You see, the last time
I bought a computer just for me
I came home with a laptop
So pretty and green
“How much RAM?”
“What processor?”
“How big is the screen?”
“What software was installed?”
“Where has it been?”
I shrugged with a smile
And offered “damned if I know”
He blinked his eyes audibly
His mind about to blow
“What did you ask the store
When you bought this new thing?”
I offered, grinning widely,
“Does this baby come in green?”
As I scoured the internet
Over the weekend
My husband stood back
Trying not to see the end
He feared I would buy
A car based on colour
And offered suggestions
If I was willing to bother
“How about all wheel drive?
What about warrantee?
How many miles, kilometres
Or storage will there be?”
He was doing his best
Not to drive me crazy
He wasn’t a pest
And he sure wasn’t lazy
But I refused to allow him
To join me for a test drive
I was bound and determined
That I run my “car life”
I found a sweet ride
With 7 passenger seating,
Warmed up front spots
and steering wheel heating
I called him and screamed
With all kinds of delight
“I have found the car I want!
I think it is right!”
I could tell he was bracing
To question me just right
“What did you ask the dealership” he posed
I said … “DOES THIS BABY COME IN WHITE?”
"CARpe diem"
Maggie
No single coping strategy will take all the pain away
Try anyway
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