Episodes from the Passenger Seat

I wanted to sit behind the wheel,
and so I did
I ended up in places I've never been
and to moments in between
drove with one hand on the wheel
and the other, to the sky
I was only seventeen

I drove past every red light,
thinking it was green
I thought the road didn't end
but it was a dead-end street
I didn't know that at seventeen

I chose to unsee
all the warning signs I've seen
I took over the road
and drove as I pleased
now I'm back on the pavement -
but this time, on my feet
I wish I knew better at seventeen

I once wanted
to sit behind the wheel
but for now,
I'll trust where the road takes me
while seated on the passenger seat
I'll do better at eighteen