A Prius Experience

As I waited in the Prius for school to be dismissed, and

For the grandchildren to come forth

Full of tales about their day--
    The BBC from Lafayette died.

Public radio in Baton Rouge died.

Pressing the Power button, foot on the brake---nothing.

Triple A.  Thank you.  Coming in 30 minutes.

Came.  Battery dead. 

The radio died because the battery died.

Entropy had triumphed over Japanese science.

I was immobile.  My vehicle had died.

I was dependent on my vehicle.

Again: I was dependent on my vehicle.

No matter how much I wanted to hear

The rest of the BBC story about disaster in Damascus,

About the sinkhole in Florida,

About the discovery of new meteorites in Russia,

About advances in Japan in battery science—

I was stopped. 

Triple A.  Thank you. 
     Over its objections, the Prius was wenched
     Upon the wrecker’s flatbed self, and

Off we went to get it fixed.

--March 2, 2013