Editor’s Note: The following original poem by Mamaroneck Town Councilman Ernie Odierna was read by its author at the April 10 Read-In organized by the Friends of the Larchmont Public Library
Why is it that?
So many people drive as fast as they do?
Seeing them weave in and out makes me really blue.
Where in the world do they feel they need to rush to?
How much difference would it make if they arrived a minute or two after they were due?
A stop sign or a red light must seem like a terrible impasse,
To those poor souls whose candle is burning at both ends, and can’t resist their urge to pass.
So many folks, it seems, have forgotten what common
courtesy on the road means.
The idea of signaling your intention to make a turn, before you do, seems more like a lost art than part of a driver’s normal routines.
Giving another driver a chance to turn, change a lane or get out of a parking spot,
is something that used to be the norm?
But now, I guess, it’s asking a lot.
There always seem to be some privileged few
Whose burning desire and urge to get ahead
leads them to pull out of the normal traffic lanes and use the road shoulder, as their personal short cut,
to help them save a minute or two.
Stopping when a pedestrian is crossing in a crosswalk and there is no light,
May seem foreign to you as a driver, with places to go and things to do but,
Think of how nice it feels when the shoe is on the other foot and it’s you,
Trying to cross a street and some really nice person stops and lets you go.
Maybe if we set some good examples for our kids and grandchildren while we’re driving,
by showing some common courtesy and consideration for others using the road,
We could help make, not only our roadways,
but the whole world a friendlier and happier place
for us all to be sharing.