The long drive
From here to there
Consisted of lively games
Of “I Spy” and
“The Alphabet Game”.
We three girls
Would entertain
Mom & Dad
As we sang
Campfire songs
In three-part harmony
In the back seat
Of the car.
Dad would casually
Turn up his marching music tape
That would try
To drown out our voices,
But we were happy to compete.
At other times,
The car would be
Silent
As we stared out the window
Making stories
Of cloudshapes,
And imagining
Enchantment
In the forest
That whizzed by
The car’s windows.
Holidays with the family,
Happy and unforgettable
Times to remember.

As a child, vacations with the family were exciting. We would all pack in the car, tent trailer behind, and travel through the mountains of BC all the way from Port Moody (Vancouver) to the Interior (Vernon). We did alot of camping while we were there. It was a long time ago. We don’t travel as a family anymore. It is important to have those long-ago and barely remembered moments in life. Having family memories installed in us as a child, keeps us young and allows us to explore the world, even as an adult. What is engraved in my mind, is the amount of wilderness that is out there beyond the city. The city can make people appreciate the outdoors more. That’s why our parks and trails are so well used in the city’s suburban areas; people need more than cement cities; they need greenery. It’s natural to be outside enjoying the great outdoors. The trees will naturally cleanse the air which are poisoned but motor vehicles such as: cars, trucks, boats, trains, and planes. Bring back horses, I say. But then again, dodging horse piles would not be fun. There has got to be a better solution than pollution. Bikes maybe. Or those Hybrid vehicles, which there are very few charging stations in BC.
Amazing. This is so reminiscent of my own childhood only on the back seat were 12 children, sitting 4 across and 3 deep, and it was only day trips. Sent from my Bell Samsung device over Canada’s largest network.
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Karen, this is a departure from your usual form. I like it. As with past poems, it draws from fond memories but the form is more pure as you are not challenged to make it rhyme which allows you to make it more spare, clear, fresh. I enjoyed this poem a lot. And it does remind me of our family car trips.
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lovely
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Wonderful post Karen. I didn’t get to “camp” before moving to BC and my young summer vacations spent in the UK were spent on day trips to the seaside….visions of pale white people sitting in wooden deckchairs, kids riding donkeys along the seashore, fairgrounds and arcades, icecream stands, souvenir stalls selling hard rock pink candy, toffee apples and balloon animals. Oh yes, and old men with handkerchiefs on their heads in place of hats to keep the sun off their bald heads.
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