Snow melt started the previous day.
Soft rain fell all afternoon.
Black ice formed overnight.
Treacherous.
Transparent.
Deadly.
The driver took the corner badly.
Wheels spun, slewed on the ice.
Vehicle out of control.
Screech.
Impact.
Silence.
In the distance
a siren wails.
~~~~~~~~
Image credit: Oleksii S @ Unsplash
The image shows three orange traffic cones placed on the road. There is ice on the road surface and foot prints can be seen on the ice.
Written in response to Sadje‘s What Do You See #128 photo prompt
Ouch…its really dangerous to take on an icy road Chris…love this
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I remember driving in dangerous conditions all too well. Thanks, Mich!
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Wow! It rushes into my mind as I watch a classic movie; a tragic scene, brilliant!
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Pleased you could see that, Aladin!
(and you beat me to the share again… πππ·)
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that’s what i do best! ππππ
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So true, and brilliantly written π
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Thanks very much, Deb π
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You have set the scene so beautifully. Excellent πβ¨
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Thanks so much, Jeet!
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ππ
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Chris this is so close to B the reality.
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I was fortunate to escape hitting anything, but the skidding and the sliding has happened to me more than once.
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Must be frightening. Hugs
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It portrays a bleak picture. Thanks for joining in
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I’m afraid so. Battling through the snow in the winter of 2009-2010 was the extra push to moving to SA!
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I have heard how tricky it can be. Well written Chris
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πππ€
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π
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well penned and scary
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Thanks very much, Beth!
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[…] Accident Report β luna’s on line […]
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Very Scary!!!
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I always found driving in the snow nerve-wracking.
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Even being a passenger can be a nail-biter! I lived in Minnesota for 9 years, growing up–LOTS of snow and ice, but there was preparation and really good road maintenance service. Now I live in Washington State (west side of mountains), and it’s often chaos…people don’t prepare well, and maintenance of the roads is pitiful.
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Being a passenger’s often worse. Being prepared is the key.
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You’re right.
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Oh no!
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I’ve come very close to a crash before!π
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I can’t imagine what that must’ve been. Close call, Chris.
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Scary! But fortunately no harm done.
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A deeply haunting depiction of road accidents. The short punchy lines really conveys the tension and mounting dread. Brilliantly written, Chris!
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Well said, Tom, my sentiments exactly!
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Thanks, Liz. My reply to Tom applies, likewise!
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You’re welcome, Chris!
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Thanks so much, Tom. I’m pleased how that came across to you.
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Wonderful chris! This was amazing! β€
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Thanks so much (again), Carol!ππ€
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Youβre very welcome Chris ππ
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π
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Haunting last two lines, Chris. We’ve all been there
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Thanks, Matthew, I’ve had a few hairy moments over the years.
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Oooh. This was chilling, Chris. It gave me goosebumps. Well done.
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That is good to hear! Thanks, Diana.
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Eish, sounds like an accident here. So painful. Care must be taken on the road. Such a wonderful poem, my friend Chris. β€
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Thanks, Lamittan, so kind of you to say.ππ
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Feel most welcome, Chris my friend. π€π
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Happens too often! I shudder to think that you experienced it, Chris.
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Fortunately I came out unscathed, as did my car. π
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Ahhh, a powerful write, Chris. Black ice is super dangerous.
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Thanks, Jeff. It’s scary stuff, even underfoot.
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Chilling in more ways than one. Well done, Chris.
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Thanks, Keith!
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A great image of an inevitable crash, well done.
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Thanks very much, Mason!
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π± So realistic! It left me hoping the driver was okay!
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In fiction it’s up to you! All safe π
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Lol thatβs the beauty of being the author, isnβt it? Or being the reader, in the case of an ending like that. I was going to say too, that I like the way you did the lines starting out longer and getting shorter and shorter until the end. It added to the βsuspenseβ and made the ending more dramatic. π
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Thanks so much for the appreciation, Debra. I’m grateful. π
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Meeeehn!!
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Thanks, Mariana!
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Hi Chris, this is a very realistic and powerful poem. Well done.
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Thanks very much, Robbie, and thanks once again for sharing. (Why I’ll never miss British winters).
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I will be in the UK this winter for Christmas. It’s okay for a finite period.
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Still not for me, Robbie!!
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I remember this happening to me once, Chris, only no sirens were involved luckily. I’d reached the end of a T junction, which went out onto a road that was a bus route. At the end of the road, it had been snowing by the way, I braked carefully, but the car had other ideas and I sailed across the road, hitting the kerb opposite with my two front tyres. No other vehicles were around at that time, thankfully, and I was able to drive off again after I’d composed myself!
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π¨A lucky escape, Tom. It’s a horrible feeling.
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It’s the way your mind takes you down Whatcouldvebeen Avenue afterwards that’s the bigger issue… the incident itself seems to pass by quickly and slowly in equal measure. Most odd.
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I know what you mean, Tom. Best to try not to dwell, especially if you have a vivid imagination (it does have a downside, doesn’t it).
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The upsides far outweigh the down ones though!
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Absolutely!!!
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succinct, sharp little poem with a bite at the end —
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Thanks very much, John.
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Reminds me of all the fire calls my family has gone on…
So many trained professionals and volunteers to help save the day!
One can only hope the results are postive – black ice is nasty.
I ruined a car that way… head on into a barrior! But I was OK.
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Ouch. Not great, but at least you walked away, Jules.
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I don’t ask so much about calls… But the other day a guy crossed the road, wove through trees and ended upsidedown in water – thankfully because he was wearing his seatbelt he was able to get out and walk away. Hazmat was called in to help get the car out of the waterway!
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Good grief! The rescue teams do amazing work.
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That they do!
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An all too regular occurrence captured in verse. “Screech. Impact. Silence.” The weight these three words carry is immense. Bravo!
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So frequent it runs like a reel in the head. Thanks, Susan!
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[…] Chris Hall; Accident report […]
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This is a horrendous scenario, Chris – I was once in an accident in which a car next to me drove through black oil spilled out on the highway (invisible on the black highway), spun out, and hit me… Black ice is terrifying…
β€
David
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Oh gosh, sorry to hear that, David. Such a frightening experience.
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