THE NITRO CAR

SPEEDING LIKE A ROCKET,
IT'S ON FIRE.
THE GLEAM OFF THE RIMS BLINDED ME
THUNDER TIGER IS ITS NAME.
NEEH NEEH ALL THE RACE
THE SOUND PLAYED MY EAR DRUMS.
THE INSIDE IS HOLLOW YET IT FEELS COMPLETE.
YOU HAVE AN ENGINE IN YOUR HEAD,
AND WHEELS IN YOUR SHOES
THAT'S WHY I LOVE YOU.

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This poem was awarded First Place Primary for Poetry Object 2013

Judge's notes:
Using multiple senses; metaphors filled with excitement, light, and speed; and words that echo the sounds of an engine, this poem captures the personality of its object. It begins with rockets, fire, and blinding light, then builds a series of ever more varied and surprising images, until this wonderful finale: “You have an engine in your head/ and wheels in your shoes”. Not only is this an invitation to imagine the car as a person; you can read it as an invitation to imagine yourself as a car. Being a car would be amazingly powerful and fun.

~ Rachael Briggs, Judge, Poetry Object 2013