Morris Minors
Image by Josh Withers from Unsplash
This is a tale
of three Morris Minors,
once upon a time.
Liz had an old green Morris Minor.
It knew the road between Liverpool and Derbyshire
intimately,
and she was generous with her lifts
until the day the breaks failed,
completely.
We had just passed the Cat and Fiddle,
right on the tops
with a long, steep descent ahead.
Liz was a good driver.
She kept us from crashing.
My Morris Minor was black
with rusted stripes in its wheel arches
and no floor at the back.
Backseat passengers came away
with wet feet.
Even the patching with beer cans
made little difference.
We returned to the hill.
It failed the test.
Alan had a white Morris Minor
with a perfect body,
breaks,
and floor,
but the gear box was shattered.
The gears didn’t work.
Still, no one could steal it.
The three of us put our heads together,
and came up with a solution.
We would combine the best bits
to make one car
to share.
Liz and Alan were cool mechanics,
and I made fresh coffee to keep them going.
We were pleased with the result;
a beautiful white Morris Minor
with a floor,
breaks,
and gears.
But still, it failed the test.
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Lynn White
Lynn White lives in North Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice, events, places, and people she has known or imagined. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and a Rhysling Award.
