, Suicidal Attempt At Enjoying Life Poem by Louise Tredoux

Crashed a quad bike, fell so hard,
skin burning in raw abrasions, face
swollen in purple and blue, twisted
ankle, broken ribs, the quad bike
destroyed, guilt unalloyed, no
extenuating circumstances

I borrowed the bike illegally, enjoyed the
amazing speed like a fool demented, felt
I could fly, hit that tree camouflaging on
the sly, I am resigned to all the anger and
fiery tempers and threats of punish-
ment which greeted

My temerity to survive my suicidal attempt
at enjoying life, expressed in righteous indig-
nation by my well-behaved, faultless peers,
they have no need to charge around to feel
alive, they recommend I resign myself to life
as routine in servitude

Staying safe, out of danger’s way, looking at
their self-satisfied holier-than-thou faces I wish
I were dead, spending a boring life amongst
them is the worst fate, what Rudi will say when
he learns the facts - I prefer not to go there…