Bump & Grind

Yeah, it happened.

I said something

to no one

today

that I'm not proud of

All of us, sitting there, in our cars

four lanes crushed down to one

 

"There'd better be a body."

 

Inching forward

slowly

stop

inching forward

My car's overheating, again

 

"There'd better be a body."

 

A release

flying past

nothing there

just water on the pavement and Fairview's finest

milling around

staring at cones

 

"I'm so ashamed."

Reviews

[SM Davis]

This is something I think we've all experienced. We wind up becoming so engrossed in the thing we are unable to accomplish because of circumstances outside of our control. The thing that we feel is so important that must get done then becomes rationalized. It's almost to say that it will be ok for this thing of importance to not get done right this minute if something of some magnitude were causing it to be delayed. That way we would not have to feel guilty for leaving late or taking the wrong turn or whatever it may be.

Also, things outside of our control are often hard to accept. It's a very easy rationalization to make...."There better be something of magnanimous proportions preventing me from reaching my destination" when truth of the matter is...there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING within our control except that piece of machinery that is firmly planted between our ears. And even parts of that are not within our control.

You've stated something that is on the minds of many in so few words. It's simple and speaks volumes. Very well done.

[Not Afraid of Bruises]

Loved it. period.

[lilain]

I laughed heartily when I read this! My Gosh, have you been sitting in my backseat, eavesdropping, and telling the world my guilty comments?! I've said this numerous times with the forewarning that it is a wretched thing to admit, yet I say it anyway.

I live in Chicago where traffic is horrendous, my commute is no exception, so I will carry your words with me as I bang my hands against the steerwheel in road rage.

Chuckling,
lilain

[Natalie C]

Hey Mr Jodie this was such a shockingly true to life story. Why is it that we always "wish" for the worse as the reason for stuff like being stuck in traffic and all the rest. I think we all could have a look at ourselves once in a while and also bow our heads in shame.

I have to admit, I loved how you started this piece;

"I said something
to no one
today
that I'm not proud of"

Truly something that you can be proud of, just like you can be proud of this beautiful piece.

[Raef C. Boylan]

Nice handling of the topic here. The slow pace reflects the non-movement of traffic, and builds up carefully to the realisation and shame at the end, of having let impatience empty your narrator temporarily of compassion. I guess it's natural, when things aren't going right, to want there to be a justifiable reason for it all. The refrain of "There'd better be a body" works well; you restrained yourself from overusing it, instead letting it serve as a reminder to your readers of the narrator's initial remark.
Great piece. Thanks for sharing it with me.

[ElJays Nicholas]

A true observation of what has become of society. The more people there are in a given community, the more we isolate ourselves, from fear, from pride. And, we personalize whatever stands in the way of our mundane gains with our own negativity. "There'd better be a body." Brilliant. I can see a man in a suit and tie, in a Lexus, stuck in traffic, on his way to work, a job which is meaningless in the grand scope of life, so that he can make his fortune, and he hopes that an accident has kept him from this, in which at least one person has died, only to find road construction has caused the problem.

What a great society we live in! (blah)........

[Andrea A. Wentz]

haha I liked this. It's funny, but also you can see the humility and shame in it. We can so easily get caught up in our own little worlds and impatiences, but when it is nothing, we can be grateful but humbled.

Good write, enjoyed the realness of it.

[SPINNING ON that dizzy ..]

Not sure why it is so tough to sit in traffic - must be because there isn't too much we can do about it! Forgive yourself - you didn't really WANT there to be a body..... you just wanted it to be something important holding you up..... We have all been there.... When I was driving my 14 year old van around, I kept saying to the kids - don't let ME be the one holding up this line of cars! Tolerance... something to read, some good music.... but it does usually happen when we have some place to be - I think it is the whole "I am in line" mentality.... haha

Kath