Lights flashed all around me
Chills ran down my spine
My race abruptly ended
When a trooper pulled my line
Slowly he strolled over
His voice broke through the air
“Please turn off your engine son
It’s time to pay your fare”
“What seems to be the problem?”
I asked the man in blue
“Did I forget to signal?
Whatever did I do?”
This is when he started
That death defying stare
Which freezes up the human corpse
And straightens out your hair
My mind began to wander
Thoughts raced through my brain
Why was I so careless?
What was there to gain?
I wasn’t even thinking
Of the consequence ahead
The danger I was causing
Since my foot was made of lead
I may have saved a little time
But now that time was lost
The officer had caught me cold
Now I must pay the cost
He wrote me up my ticket
As tension left the air
He said “Slow down while you’re in town”
And ceased his deathly stare
Then just as he alighted
He vanished in the night
To find another man like me
And help him see the light
Although it may be hard for us
To pay a heavy fine
Investing in our safety
Isn’t any cause to whine
The next time that you get a chance
To meet a man in blue
Do what you can to thank the man
Who’s working hard for you
Thal Dixon
Published first in
California Work World
February 1993
College and Career Publishing
