Driving lessons

On the morning of the funeral

I saw the boy down the road get into his driving instructor’s car

and I felt so sorry for him

because learning to drive was the most frustrating thing

I’ve done in my life.

My mum was always so scared when I passed.

She knew I was no boy racer

but the country lanes near our house

have such sharp bends

and I was a nervous driver

even though I passed first time

and had been out for a hundred drive

with my dad in our Fiesta

I didn’t cry often when growing up but I cried

when I came back from the lesson I was stuck

in the red box junction

petrified of putting my foot on the pedals

and I know some people love driving

and for this boy across the road

who I remember being born

might well have loved every second

of his driving lessons

but as I tied my black tie

I thought about the little boy and his driving lessons.