Oh the beauty, the horror, the long whine of the family road trip. Who hasn't endured this summer nightmare? Emily Andrade beautifully distills the experience in this found poem, which originally appeared at the Found Poetry Project.

The Ten Commandments (of traveling with my parents)

1. Don’t snap your gum.
2. Don’t ever drive that close to a semi again.
3. Follow that car!
4. Don’t put your fingers on the window.
5. Watch out for elk.
6. Tell me where we are.
7. Be ready with the money before we reach the toll.
8. Don’t eat mother’s tuna sandwich.
9. Please, don’t kill us.
10. Pass me that lotion.

Written by Joseph and Sharon Andrade
Minivan trip to San Bernardino, CA, from Indianapolis, IN, Spring 2005
Found by Emily Andrade

Emily explains her found poem: “Original quotes from Joseph and Sharon Andrade during a minivan trip to San Bernardino from Indianapolis, Indiana for my Uncle Ruben’s funeral in the spring of 2005. Formed into poems by Emily Andrade, who was taking notes and a strict diary of the trip. Joseph and Sharon did not know they were being recorded and Emily did not know she had poems until the end of the trip. (A special thanks to the Andrade parents, who made these poems possible.)”