%22Thanks Dad%22 - Barracuda poem by Karen Boissonneault-Gauthier
Barracuda
by Karen Boissonneault-Gauthier

There’s only one song that plays
when I get behind that wheel
a Power Girl, Power Ballad
because I’m gonna “burn into the wick”
Barracuda

Thanks Daddy for the muscles
and the keys given in my 20s
when I’m flexing and taking flight
’cause today the other dads think my husband owns
and can’t rack and pinion their brain around the fact
it’s been Mine all this time.
Asking who drives it, probing for ownership
playing the classic “whisper game,”
permanently baffled when he confirms I’m speaking fact.
Really? the Car’s from the ’60s, you’re Not

Cool to learn in a classic with a different driving feel
this ’66 Power Girl
Crankin’ her wheel, laced in a leather braid
’round and ’round in circular motion
learning this V8 speed
loves straight lines a little too much
while heads swivel to catch a glimpse
of the one sitting uninhibited, in white leather bucket seats
purring in tandem, searching for more straightaways
while 0-60 in 12.9 seconds reminds me more often than not
just how much time has already passed

Dad says I should sell now; that it’s time
but only 38,029 of you can do it my way
furthermore, it chauffeured me ’round on my wedding day
then took both babes home from hospital, five years apart
Memories live in this car,
they exist with her and stay with me in cities we’ve lived in
Together
we haven’t looked back.
Now my babes adore muscle cars
and I may have to share my ride on a warm summer night
and let them grip the wheel
while knowing the song, the car and the feeling
complements more than just who I am
“Oooo, Barra-Barracuda”
I think they get it from me

Author’s note: Quoted lyrics / Heart / Barracuda lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

VISUAL ART: “Thanks Dad” created by Karen Boissonneault-Gauthier.

AUTHOR’S CAPTION: Here I am receiving the keys to a classic 1966 Barracuda from my Dad way back in the 80s. Kind of a big deal, right? Below the “passing of the key ceremony” photo is me 22 years later leaning on my Barracuda. Both of us are classic, but only one of us has the luxury to hibernate in the winter.

Head Shot-- Karen Boissonneault-Gauthier

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 
Karen Boissonneault-Gauthier is a photographer, writer and poet. She has shot cover art for Crack the Spine, Vine Leaves Literary Journal and has been published in The Scarborough Big Art Book and Lucid Moose Lit, to name but a few creative places she dwells. Her poetry has been featured in Calliope Magazine (winner of the 2015 National Poetry Awards). Follow Karen @KBG_Tweets and see her visual art work at www.kcbgphoto.com.