Leaning Forward

[Tom Balch]

The slapping of the wipers
On their fastest setting could
Not clear the torrential rain
Blasting the windscreen and the
Blinding glare of headlights
Caused me to lean forward to
Try and see where the road was,
Even when the on coming
Traffic had passed and I could
Put the headlights on main beam
It was next to impossible to see
The way ahead; We had left it late
To head home as we always do
Because we enjoy it down there
So much, it´s funny to think that
When we made this journey less
Than three weeks ago it was dark
The windows were down and it was
Twenty four degrees but tonight
I will not be driving with my
Elbow resting out of the window.

[Stella]

Driving into torrential rain can be so frightening, leaning forward yes , trying to see through the road through it all.

We tend to forget about those dreadful journeys when the weather is warm and we enjoy a ride with the windows down..

[Cindy]

It's hard driving in rain like that. About as bad as thick fog. We were driving in fog one day, when suddenly it got so thick we could barely see past the front of the car. It was the slowest I ever seen my husband drive. We were getting nowhere. It felt very clausterphobic for me. And, there was one time I walked out into a harvested field of corn in fog so thick I couldn't see in any direction more than a few feet. It would have been scary had I not been able to follow the corn stalk stumps at my feet. Still very clausterphobic though. It was like that all day that time too. Very strange that day. Like a dream or something. Your poem just brought all that to mind. I like the poem.