Thursday, January 28, 2010

red car

In honor of Nuala ni Chonchuir’s newly released book of poetry,
Portrait of the Artist with a Red Car, TFE is sending out his famed
Poetry Bus. Make sure you drop by his blog on Friday for the big
celebration. Tickets for the bus must include a poem with the words
"red" and "car". Mine is as follows...



My heart skipped a beat
when he tossed me the keys,
"Yup, she's yours," he said.
A surprise; what a treat.

Second hand and deep red.
Not the fiery, blood red
of the sleek and the sporty;
more a friendly apple red,
a tootsie pop red.

Her engine sputtered 'round,
known to stall at lights
and crawl up town at night,
top down, wind grabbing my hair.

Heat barely there, seeped out
of funny holes in the floor.
Rain spattered above
though the roof and the door.

She was my first love.
I was utterly smitten
by that clunky old bug
in a rug, sweet volks of a car.
.


willow, 2010
.




picture borrowed from google images

61 comments:

  1. Vvvroom, vvroom! Nice, I like that line "wind grabbing my hair" ...

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  2. I LOVE that car!! Looking forward to catching up on Friday! Nuala

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  3. "A tootsie pop red..." Love that.

    My husband had an orange bug when we were engaged. Then he was arrested for unpaid parking tickets, lapsed registration, and no driver's liscence.

    After I bailed him out and we got married, life moved on. Now, 4 kids later, the car we're going to get our kids they are old enough to drive?

    A VW bug.

    For sure.

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  4. ha. love it. my first vehicle was a grey mazda pick up truck which i ran into the ground. my cousin had a bug. so many miles, so many stories.

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  5. Yes. Ready to rush out! Lovely color!

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  6. Well, I just missed the bus by posting photos of cars and verse but no actual mention of "red" nor "car". Metaphors let me down once again. I love your verse and car, though.

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  7. The true artist is the one who paints in words. You are a true artist. Love the poem! So does my 10 y.o. son who wants me to print it out.

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  8. Lovely memory! VW's had the most charisma and the least practical engineering of almost any car known to man. We had a second-hand VW camper once. Oh the lack of heat in the rear! Our poor children huddled in sleeping bags. And the ten mph ascent of the hills around here. . . We should have just parked it and let the boys have it for a playhouse.

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  9. Great poem and great color on the Volks. I learned to drive on a VW hardtop...quirky car!

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  10. Wow! Now that's a classic car! A buddy of mine just finished restoring a mid-'70s metallic blue Super Beetle, and it's a masterpiece. But you have a convertible!!! O frabjous day!

    Heh, heh! But I bet it'll be a while yet before you can drive around in it with the top down.

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  11. Oh, Roy, what I would give to have this car today! Alas, I owned it back in the 70s. Sigh.

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  12. Nuala, congratulations on YOUR "Red Car"!!!

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  13. Oooh! I do like yours better...and the colour! And a convertible! Ours wasn't and just palin white but it was my car...!

    Great, fun poem, Willow :)

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  14. You are fabulous, I loved that..

    Yvonne

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  15. Very cute! My first car was a bug! Come read about my red car memory.

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  16. Wonderful ode to the Bug. Immediately made me conjure up the smell of the interior of the one my parents had...a scent of old canvas with a whiff of vinyl. My brother and I used to cram into the little compartment behind the back seat.

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  17. ....deep rich burgundy, crimson, apple, cherry, strawberry, alizarin, ruby, or the delectable garnet..ah..I'm in 7th heaven as long as it's red.....tee hee..:)..my favorite, favorite color!

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  18. Of all the cars I've owned over the years, I never owned a VW Beetle. Looking at this one, I don't understand why!

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  19. MLou, my parents had a red one in the early 60s. My sister used to ride in the little compartment, too. We called it the "well". I'm not sure why.

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  20. Hello Willow,

    Nice memories and poetic too. Early cars are either a dream or a nightmare!

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  21. It's funny--when you hear red car, you automatically think of soemthing sporty! This was a fun twist on that. My first car was a Bug, too, but it was white.

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  22. I must say I do like your red car. And I felt the rain and smelled the engine.

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  23. My husband still has a soft spot for his "bug" too. I never had one, but I knew this guy...

    Fun poem - it really gives a sense of your feeling towards the car.

    Kat

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  24. I love Bugs, drove a super beetle in college...love your poem...

    you are so sweet.

    much love

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  25. What a great first car! I love the color. I bet you had some fun times cruising around it that one : )

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  26. Rub a Dub Dub A Vee DUb tub...Cool!

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  27. Isn't she a beaut !
    I can just imagine you putt-putting around town in that flirty little bug.
    I had a similar little English car when I first got my drivers license, I thought it was tops !

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  28. Damn, girl. That poem brings back memories of an old VW I drove for awhile, and my old Fiat. But this one in the photo is a cherry!

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  29. I learned how to drive on a VW...my first car...but no where near as pretty as that gorgeous cherry red...but just as drafty...no heat except for the "ankle burners"....

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  30. Oliag, yes, they sure were ankle burners, weren't they? Ah, but with all it's faults, I still loved that beetle.

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  31. Oh, I hope you still have her! Such a wonderful red!

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  32. i was quite excited thinking that was the willow's car then alas i saw you snagged the snap from google images.

    your verse is so evocative & fun

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  33. Oh, too much fun. And tootsie pop red. I'm tasting how much fun that is.

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  34. My first car was a VW that was Campbell's tomato soup red (more orange than red but definitely tomato soup) We even named it Campbell. Had a white sunroof, white tuck and roll interior, and was just the best. I have owned many V dubs in my life. I regret selling my silver turbo a few years ago. It had heated seats and was the most comfortable car I have EVER driven. Hands down. One of these days I'm going to get another. Either that or an Audi TT!!

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  35. the little red bug and you seem a perfect fit even today :)

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  36. I was awfully busy flitting around Blogtopia tonight but, I had to stop by when I saw your lovely, red VW in my reader. You know, or maybe you don't, how I love vintage cars. My first love was a VW too. Although, she was more of a Kermit Frog green, I still remember her fondly.

    Memories...

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  37. Willow,
    Our first NEW car was a blue bug; loved that car, but the family out grew it. :(
    rel

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  38. Hi! Willow,
    Nice poem, photograph and memories of a car that you had fond remembrance of...Thanks, for sharing, but most importantly, like Brian said, Thanks, for following me on Twitter
    too!
    Happy TT
    DeeDee ;-D

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  39. Everyone remembers one's first car with such fondess and your poem captured that love perfectly

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  40. One of my first cars was a Volkswagen as well, only it wasn't a convertible and it was green.

    But green can be the color of an apple too, can't it?

    Loved your poem.

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  41. always thought they were so cute but never owned one though my first car also had holes in the floor. !!

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  42. Cute bug! I still have millions of memories of bugs--the new ones just aren't the same, are they? Great poem! My sister had a red mustang as her first car, and we called it the "tangy tomato," as a joke, but it should have been called "the lemon!" We met more guys when we were having breakdowns, so I guess it was a good thing! hahaaaaa!

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  43. My first love was a red vw bug, too! It wasn't a convertible, though.

    Great poem! Funny and reverant. Brava!!

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  44. Oh, what a beauty! (both the poem and the car!. You know that I'm a VW man. Many, many thanks for this wonderful pressie.

    Greeitngs from London.

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  45. That is one gorgeous motor. I adore red cars, having one myself! Lovely poem to accompany.

    CJ xx

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  46. you know i drive a convertible bugg.
    triple beige.

    my bugg smiles at me!
    i know your does too.


    x

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  47. that's a fun little jalopy.

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  48. Not only are VW Bugs smiling, they bring smiles, as well!

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  49. Fun, fun, fun! How I wanted a Love Bug.

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  50. At 17 I learnt to drive in my BF Patsy's old Vee Dub. Having passed her licence the previous week, of course gave her the perfect credentials to teach me. The VW was a fixed-head, but as the windows wouldn't wind up, it might as well have been a soft-top. Top speed was 60mph. on a good day & if Mars was aligned with Jupiter. 37 years on we are still BF's & we still talk about that magic llittle green car. Thanks for the memories & your fab poem sweet Willow.
    Millie ^_^

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  51. Well done really nice poem and really nice car as well!

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  52. If I didn't have BIG dogs I would have a tiny tootsie pop red car just like that one!

    Di
    The Blue Ridge Gal

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  53. A million people have already said it better than me so all I'm saying is: aaah!

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  54. It's always so fun to post my poetry for all my super readers. Thanks to all of you for your wonderful comments. You are the best. xx

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  55. nicely done willow I had a few bugs and vw vans..none red though....anyways thanks for sharing this

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  56. what a beautiful car, love th ecolour--a special gift indeed to ahve had adn cherish.

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  57. sweet she is! having a blue one is on my bucket list!! mine will have a yellow daisy in the bud vase on the steering column!

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)