Emily (who happens to be from my writing project!) at #verselove invited writers to share something about themselves using Clint Smith’s poem by the same name as inspiration. Thanks for a great prompt Emily! I knew right away what I would write about–but it was much harder than I anticipated! Here’s my attempt:

Something You Should Know

is that the teenaged me bonded with Dad over

sprint cars as pit crew members

Squeezed in the back of the truck

nestled with the spare tires

on long road trips to the racetrack

Circles of speed

left turns only

going around and around

arriving nowhere fast

Rolling tires

topping off fuel

pushing the race car to the starting line

Dressed alike in white jeans and t shirt

as we traverse the muddy track

trying not to wipe grease stained hands

on those bright white pants

Life’s lessons:

watch your back

compete even if you can’t win

fitting in sometimes means standing out

and eventually you figure out what matters most in life

through the relationships built

watching cars drive around in circles.