Taxi Ride

Hi jennifer,

I live in Swindon and my heart goes out to those
poor girls and their families. Our neighbours let some lanterns off
on Saturday night, it was a very emotional evening.

Your story really hits it home I'm glad that I
don't have daughters to worry about. I think we need
a womens only taxi service, it would take the fear
away for a lot of women.

Anyway thankyou for speaking so honestly.

Jenny.

A friend of mine had to escape from a Taxi when we were at Uni: she was alone and he was driving her in the opposite direction to the one she'd asked for. She opened the door when he stopped at a roundabout and legged it. I agree with you: I think a women's only service would be great. This struck home for me on a personal level; I often drive and forgo drinking so I don't have to get a taxi home alone and always offer lifts to friends who would otherwise get taxis or walk alone.

On a different note, although the letting off of lanterns is a lovely gesture, it's not lovely in that they're a menace: I have often dragged the unsightly litter from hedgerows and fields when they are set off around me! They have thin wires and crosses of wood in their structure which could seriously harm an animal (domestic or wild) that investigates it. I especially fear for the lives of young calves and lambs that may try to eat them!

Rant over! Thank you so much for commenting and for sharing your similar feelings towards this horrendous tragedy.

J x

I do know what you mean about the lanterns and I
totally agree with you, but I just felt very
emotional watching them float through the sky as a
touching memory, although I wouldn't let them off
myself personally, I think really if people just
want to have a moment to remember the girls, it
would be better to light a candle don't you think?

Jenny.

Yes, I think a candle would be more appropriate. The lanterns are a lovely gesture, but so potentially damaging to animals and the environment. It's akin to the sentiment of leaving flowers on graves or by accident sites; a lovely thing to do, IF the plastic wrappings are removed first... I'm quite passionate about such things, you'll find...

J x

it's exactly as you describe - taxi drivers - safe as anything. Except it often isn't - much more often than we hear about. Such a sad story.

there used to be a taxi firm in london only for women - I think it was called lady cabs- I hope it's still running. What a shame it doesn't happen in other cities

Dark poem, yet the reality of this is shocking and people, especially girls should be made aware of these 'scum' who prey on innocent victims. You seem like a green person Jennifer, wish there were more people like you in this world. It would be a step closer to the right direction, the destination being 'world-peace'.

Well done on confronting this issue and definitely deserved a cherry.

X
Pinda

Thank you, Insert... and Pinda for your lovely supportive comments. It's funny, we automatically trust people in positions of responsibility without question, don't we? Perhaps taxi drivers should be CRB checked... after all, they often drive home 'children' of school age late at night...

J x

Unfortunately, England is not sole owner of such types - we've had similar cases here in Australia too. I don't think there is a word strong enough to describe what I think of such people.

Great piece, by the way.

I agree with Mark (Dynamaso) - what goes on inside these guys brains? I couldn't really write about it because I just can't fathom out their thinking processes, and when they're caught you have to wonder how many times they've done it before. Enough said, other than your piece is very poignant, and very scary.

Steve

A fitting tribute to such a travesty, Jennifer. I love the internal rhymes, they really make the piece flow. In Durham with have the university night bus service to stop students, especially girls, getting taxis on their own. Well done on the cherry!

Magic xxx

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Hi there Jennifer,

It is always difficult to write about something so topical without coming across as either preachy or wise after the event but you manage to avoid either of those pitfalls beautifully with this piece. The presentation, the language and the general tone of the verse are sufficiently matter of fact that they encourage the reader to feel the emotions for him'herself rather than having them thrust down their throat. Poetically I particularly like the slightly off rhyme (which probably has a technical name that I don't know of they/safe. At first I didn't recognise this pairing as a rhyme on the page but when I read it aloud the sounds did the trick for me and I applaud that effect. Many thanks for sharing this

All best wishes

Dave

PS - congratulations on the Pick of the Day.

Aim for the stars then if you fail you might still land on the moon, and that's not a bad second best.

really liked -good stuff -i got told 1am by the police to get out of my cab and walk rest of way home through the park road last week! Bus crash by end of my road -i told them thanks protect and serve...it's a jungle out there - I'm married when i get into a cab -although that doesn't do much to stop too many questions -each ride home is risky, but feels bit less risky than the streets - c'est la -good poem jennifer x

This is a brilliant, brilliant poem- I find it very haunting indeed.

Dear Blighters Rock,

It is possible to be critical without being downright rude, or totally insensitive to those that have been affected or simply touched by this tragedy. Some proper, helpful feedback on how you think I might improve my writing, in the true spirit of abctales (a site which you insult while still utilising to showcase work) would have been more appropriate. Thank you so much for the feedback, however, I am delighted to find that you express yourself with such an eloquent turn of phrase and that the editors have seen fit to decorate some of your own efforts with cherries too!

J x

Dear Everyone else, (esp Tony - thank you so much for the compliment of making me 'pick of the day'),

Thank you for all your wonderfully generous comments - and for sharing your own feelings towards the tragedy on a deeply personal level. This piece has meant so much more to you all than I could have envisaged when I posted it.

J x

I can't add very much jennifer that hasn't already been said - but really well done. :-)

Hi again, Jennifer. Now I understand, I should have read this first. First of all, I loved your piece, it was topical, thought-provoking, and well-written. A reader cannot ask for much more than that. I see who your anger has been directed at and I have to say you are completely justified. There always seems to be spoilers on every site (I have been subject to it myself, even on this site, which on the whole is friendly). There is no justification for such rudeness and dismissiveness towards one's work. I also treat such vitriol and spite with the contempt it deserves, and your response in your later posting to 'said' comment was spot on. Sorry I hadn't realised. Anyway your poem/story speaks for itself with an eloquence that BR will never have. Best wishes.

sue

I can't help feeling sorry for all the perfectly normal taxi drivers out there right now, but of course in every walk of life there are monsters. A big well done to you for capturing the darkest of moments so well in your words.

Blighter's - is that an apology? It should be as I concur with jennifer - criticism is good but insult is bad.

What's more I felt that this was an excellent piece of poetry. I agree with Blighter's on the 'jumping on bandwagon' stuff but I know from so many women just how nervous they are about getting into a taxi alone. This is not an isolated case - there have been many before - and however the statistics work out it means that there is always a real and genuine fear for women getting into a cab alone late at night. That should not be tolerated in our society. Jennifer's poem reflects that very genuine fear and does it very well indeed.

Dear Blighters Rock, I feel I ought to address your gripes now I have calmed down somewhat:

Gripe Number One: 'My main gripe is with poetry in general. I feel it's abused as a form of writing in ordwer [sic] to puff up words that could be written in ordinary sentences as prose.'

Well, some of us don't abuse poetry to puff up our words - poetry is a natural form of expression to the poets amongst us - this poem took about ten minutes to write - it just flowed out, pretty much as it is above. For me, the words just come out in a sort of rhythm and rhyme. I actually find it much, much harder to write prose and some of my prose can be very lyrical and have a lot of internal rhymes. To me, prose feels like the 'puffed up', slightly forced writing form. As writers, we're all different in the way we express ourselves and just because poetry is not your thing, please think carefully before assuming that prose is the most natural form of expression for everyone, just because it is YOUR most natural form of expression.

Gripe Number Two: 'My other gripe is to do with extremism in modern social thinking. The media's so fixed in people's minds as a tool to divert us away from our true selves, and people use it almost as if they need to feed off it in order to think and have an opinion about something/anything.'

Yes, I actually happen to agree with you; most of the time, the media tries to whip us into a frenzy with opinion dressed up as fact, unfair bias and angles, etc. I have actually studied both linguistics and media, and in fact, had only heard about the murder this poem is inspired by as a radio headline. However, if you read my initial comments, you will find that the topic is closer to home than you might think; a close friend of mine was the victim of an attempted kidnap by a taxi driver. Personally, I've never taken a taxi alone. I suppose that, not being a young female, you might find it harder to identify with what is, let's face it, a highly 'female' fear. It's sad, but unfortunately very real to a lot of us. I did not intend to insinuate that ALL taxi drivers are evil, murderous, rapists; I was merely expressing my personal reaction to an amalgamation of feelings and memories brought to the surface by recent events.

Finally, while I concur that you should be allowed to 'air an opinion', I maintain that it is the WAY you put that opinion that should be more carefully considered, especially since you're a writer, so theoretically could have easily phrased your opinion so as not to cause such great offence. I have no problem at all with the fact that you dislike my poem; just don't be so bloody rude next time!

J x

p.s. I think it only fair that you read my poetic response:

http://www.abctales.com/story/jennifer/lets-get-critical

i love and respect and am thankful to the kindly, knights of the road taxi drivers esp if they are also good drivers. This is a poem that is not about taxi drivers -it is of a presently highlighted case, of violence against women by men. I liked the short skirt reference, from pov of woman, her anxiety, worked well to provoke thought on that old chestnut -violence against women by men is far more prevalent than most people think. As is female violence against men. Social commentary, which i think is on an important topic.

Thankyou, littleditty, a thoughtful comment and exactly right,

J x

Dear Blighters Rock,

Thank you for your reply and for what you have said, it is much appreciated. I quite understand that, sometimes, the personal stuff can get in the way. I hope you manage to find a resolution. Write about it - that always helps me!

Regards,

J x

Very well written. The tension runs right through this.

Thank you, shyrewode, what a fantastic compliment to receive,

J x