I wake in the morning, and look at the clock,

And would you believe I’m an hour late for work,

Then I stumble around, in the dark till I’ve found,

My whit’s and my trousers and shirt,

A quick cup of tea, and I’m out to the car,

After phoning to say I’ll be late,

But the spark plugs won’t spark, so the engine won’t start,

And I’m starting to get quite irate,

Then it bursts into life, black smoke pours from the pipe,

And it coughs and it splutters and whines,

As it crawls down the road, at the speed of a toad,

That has a brick strapped across its behind,

Hitting the traffic, I think just my luck,

There’s a tailback that goes on for miles,

So I puff and I pant, and I rave and I rant,

While the driver stopped by me just smiles,

I can’t open the window; for fear that I’ll choke,

On the fumes from the trucks up ahead,

And I shout, “come on stupid, what is this a joke”?

God I wish I’d just stayed there in bed,

When I get to the factory, my luck don’t improve,

And I curse every tick of the clock,

I’m willing the hands, on the clock-face to move,

Until I’m certain the damned thing has stopped,

At the end of my shift, that has passed like a week,

I go back to the car once again,

And after ten minutes, it splutters and squeaks,

And rattles along like a train,

Then it’s back into traffic, though I must admit,

That it’s not quite as bad as before,

And when it disappears, and the roadway is clear,

I press down my foot to the floor,

I’m trying to get home, before my girlfriend gets there,

And I know I’ll be cutting it tight,

But I’m driving along, like I don’t have a care,

And that’s when I notice the lights,

Two blue ones flashing, on the car that’s behind,

And in my rear-view, I see the word police,

How I didn’t see it, I must have been blind,

And I’m thinking, that’s just all I need,

A half an hour later, I’m back on my drive,

With a speeding fine under my belt,

And my temperature’s rising, I swear on my life,

That I think I might actually melt,

So I get out the car in a temper,

Trapping my coat in the door,

Then I push, and I pull, like some kind of fool,

And when it gives way I fall to the floor,

When I go in my girlfriend is smiling,

That angelic smile that she wears,

Puts her arms round me, and give me a kiss,

Playfully roughing my hair,

And suddenly nothing else matters,

Not the traffic, the car or my day,

All of my problems are scattered,

My troubles all melted away,

Just a kiss and a smile and I’m happy,

My day feels as though I’ve been blessed,

“Have you had a good day then”? She asks me,

And I look down at her and say “yes”.

By S.E.Ralph

7-2-2004