The lever’s down there

Let us sit in judgment on this, to
assess who wins. The category,
a clue. The winner, not so much.

How many miles do you get to go
a sputter, a spume of that red smell
wires make when they are burning?
  

How many stops to look under the hood
a rattle, a hot stink, some smoke
looking in the rearview wondering? 

And who is doing that? And all along
it’s you, it’s you – make no mistake
driving with the brake on all day.

And there are days no matter how
carefully you pull the right lever,
everything just sticks. Pull over. Sigh.

news from a small town 15, November 2012