Early last month, I replaced my and my sister’s first car, a 2007 Toyota Camry, with a newer car because the cost of the many repairs she needed done was too high. Big Booty Judy, named for her spacious trunk, was with us through a lot of important years, and we’ll never forget a car with such character. So please excuse my poor poetry writing as I get all sentimental about the past:

With the skin of a sedan and the backside of a dump truck,

You were the car that should have never ever been bought.

Parked sideways across the driveway by the car-buying schmuck,

You dazzled the new driver who would give you a shot.

~~~

A shot to ferry students to and from school

And give freedom to a girl just finding her feet. 

More than a car and more than a tool,

You became a member of the family tree. 

~~~

The tire pressure sensor had been broken for years,

And the aux cord no longer played my tunes, 

But this reliable old broad stayed with me through all of my fears, 

And I never imagined saying goodbye so soon. 

~~~

You ran over a rabbit and dodged a plastic bag.

You survived a night out in the hail and rain.

Though insurance labeled you nothing but a drag,

Your pockmarked shell hid the soul within. 

~~~

The soul of an old lady who had lots of work done,

Who takes no one’s shit and gives no fucks. 

You carried us around to work or to fun,

To go see our friends when their lives sucked. 

~~~

For a decade I was shielded by your airbags,

As I slid over ice and backed into poles.

You took me to prom and my first ever date,

And when I cried after work, you helped me feel whole.

~~~

We two siblings trusted you with everything:

Hundreds of CDs and dozens of passengers, 

Field Day lyrics and mini car concerts,

Freedom and tears and experiences of life,

All safe and sound in your soft tan seats. 

~~~

For all of these years you served us well,

A friend like you who would take us through hell. 

~~~

But Big Booty Judy will run no more

As she’s stripped for parts in 2024. 

~~~

Thanks, Judes, for being the best first car anyone could ask for.

-Ryn PB