At a yard sale Saturday, I bought a copy of the 1970 North Carolina Traffic Law and Highway Safety manual.

Why? Because bored? no.

What better resource from which to create (attempt?) poetry by removing existing words instead of adding them!

Here are some examples. If I don’t get them out of my system now, you’ll be forced to suffer through them for weeks to come.

Each poem is below the page(s) containing the highlighted and crossed-out words.

–   .   –   .   –

The Sixth Rule

The sixth rule raises the question: How far

is “far enough”?

depends

how long will it take?

.   .   .

you can find the answer

you will travel

out

14 seconds

.   .   .

suppose

you see another

coming

as you pass

.   .   .

how much room

travel the distance

in time

it takes

.   .   .

to be clear

twice as far

or about

two-fifths of a mile

.   .   .

look and study

pass at speed

faster than speed of being passed

get by

.   .   .

your passing

might be

unlawful

exactly

.   .   .

forget about passing

settle down

follow

you may lose

.   .   .

but

add years

to

your life

–   .   –   .   –

When You Walk

Who is

he is

.   .   .

who has

you

the other

.   .   .

before you stop

and look

.   .   .

before you start

be sure

you get across

.   .   .

never

cross

.   .   .

if you know

it is

just about to change

–   .   –   .   –

Fog

Fog

dangerous

thick

barely

.   .   .

see beyond the hood

on clear nights, thick fog collects

in small pockets

when you run

.   .   .

when you have passed through

continue

there will be more

the reason is that

.   .   .

fog particles act back you see

but not nearly as much

special fog

colored lenses

–   .   –   .   –

Smoking and Eating

Smoking while driving

is not dangerous

learn to do it

.   .   .

at night light a cigarette

the flame will blind you

as bright headlights approaching

.   .   .

ask a passenger to light the cigarette for you

when you finish throw it out the window

it may start a brush or forest fire

.   .   .

heavy

smoke

all your attention

.   .   .

it only takes one of your hands

especially

for the beginning driver

–   .   –   .   –