Thursday, October 31, 2024

Accidental Car Door Ding

My car door opened too quickly the other day 

And accidentally hit the side of the truck beside me. 

 

Thankfully, it was a white work truck that already had a wrecked front

Because it left a little ding. 

 

A man was in the truck and 

He unhappily looked at me and made an exasperated gesture. 

 

The man had just come out of the gun store 

With a new gun. 

 

I felt uneasy as I walked away and 

Hoped the man wouldn’t be waiting for me when I returned. 

 

He was still there when I walked back to my car. 

I didn’t make eye contact. 

 

I cautiously pulled away, 

Afraid he might follow me. 

 

As I drove down the road, 

I looked in my rear view mirror. 

 

Two cars back, 

There he was. 

 

Fearing road rage or being attacked when I got out of the my car, 

I pondered my options. 

 

Thankfully I was going to be driving awhile. 

And i was going to be arriving near a fire station. 

 

About five minutes into the drive, though,

The man slowed down and suspiciously turned around. 

 

I felt relieved. 

But I also felt sad that I had to consider plans for what to do with a man’s misplaced anger. 

 

I don’t want to live in fear,

But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t carry the fear of guns and violence qnd rage and untreated mental illness and school shootings in my bones. 

 

We have a lot of work to do, friends.

We shouldn’t have to be afraid of accidentally dinging someone’s car door. 

 

We shouldn’t have to be afraid at all. 

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