Driving up from ramp onto interstate

Is a blind proposition at Exit 5's gate

Yesterday an ugly scene come upon

A car didn't make it - broadsided strong



By an eighteen-wheeler which flipped

As it tried to to avoid car, then whipped

Around, so cabin was facing directly back

In a slick rain which'd made it mis-track



And folks in a red station wagon were hurt

As also was the truckdriver, caught in the dirt

And all because of a badly designed on-ramper

Which creates a merge with sightline hampered



Many times this driver's sensed the caution there

Knowing full well one has to look back with stare

To make sure all of the traffic in the primary lane

Has openings to the outside before one can gain



Speed - to make a successful merge into traffic

Something station wagon did not do - hacked it

And so was squeezed into shoulder by the truck

Which obviously had no opening, so ran out of luck



And so an inevitable collision suddenly came to be

Causing confusion as car and truck became unfree   

Colliding together in loud cracking sounds heard

And all because of Exit 5's so very difficult merge



- Tristram



Christopher W. Thomas

5:30pm Tues. March 3rd, 1998