I thought my driving wasn’t that bad~
a wobble here, a creative turn there,
nothing worth filing a complaint over.
But then my GPS cleared its throat,
sounded genuinely concerned,
and announced in a trembling voice:
In 400 feet, do a slight right…
stop…
and let me out!
I swear it buckled its digital seatbelt,
recalculated its life choices,
and whispered something about hazard pay.
Now every time I start the car,
it sighs like a weary parent
and asks if I’ve considered walking instead.
I know it looks all clear,
But can we wait till the man is green?
I want to know that when you go,
You won’t be leaving me.
You were only across the road,
But now you’re going down the street,
Further and further and further.
I feel like I might as well go back home.
I feel like I might as well go home
So I can stand at the crossing till the man is green
And visit the field around the block
Where I’ve always been.
Can you wait till I’m buckled in
Before you start to drive?
In fact, can you wait till I’ve found the seatbelt
Before you turn the engine on?
Can
Escape: Tribute to George Oliver
"People can't fly when they're backed into a corner." -Tami Longaberger
Centenarian, I can only imagine
What you were thinking
When you boarded your wheelchair,
Headed out the door of the Ewing Wing,
And took the downhill runway.
Surely you meant to take flight-
Bystanders who saw that you had left your Rocking chair
Could only gape in awe at your audacity of hope.
The California Highway Patrol,
Noting that you forgot to fasten your seatbelt,
Rushed in where the federal aviation commission could not.
The CHP took you back to John C Fremont
And bound you to earth for the few days
you had left.
Trapped, we often get our wings late.
My friend, I can only assume, that you,
Despite the new alarm on the door of the Ewing wing,
Are flying high above us
I fasten my seatbelt,
Remembering the Testament
I had scribbled —
The leanest Testament ever.
In it I had written,
Among other tattered rubbish?
I have nothing
Naked I came
Naked I shall fly away.
Seated by the window,
I borrowed courage from
The wings of frightened birds.
With one grunt of mechanical breath,
My feet squelched off the grimes of the
Soil,
And I befriended the skies,
My heartbeat louder than drums of war.
Our son-in-law was in a really bad wreck yesterday
He according to the test has no broken bones but is in terrible pain
The ER doctor let him come home last night
Thank God that he had on his seatbelt and that God protected him
It could have been so much worse
He was going around 50 MPH and someone ran a stop sign
He broadsided them because he did not know they were not going to stop
It totaled out the truck he drives at work
Thank you, Sara K
To visit the Gulf of America,
In case you get the notion,
You might fly over what’s now called
The Mar-a-Lago Ocean.
Be sure to click your seatbelt,
For when using this portation,
(The “trans” has been removed)
You’ll pass a bright red once-great nation.
Get your brand-new passports ready
For the agents are quite brusque
And you might just get deported
To a planet now named Musk.
What once was Mars is filled with
Crowds of migrants (oh, such noise!),
Lining up to use the bathrooms
Clearly labeled Girls or Boys.
There’s a huge arena filled with
Those with polio or mumps,
For there are no more vaccines,
Which Junior argued were for chumps.
While back on earth, the military
(Minus gays and gals)
Is patrolling Mar-a-Gaza,
Filled with Donald’s kiss-ass pals.
And in Congress, the Republicans,
With joyfulness, cavort,
Knowing that, no matter what,
They’ll have the backing of the Court.
For those of us remaining,
We can mutually mope
Or reclaim the Gulf of Mexico,
With just a thread of hope.
Maybe I’ll smile
I want to unbuckle my seatbelt
And drive off of a bridge
As I fly toward the cement
I wonder if I’ll regret
Maybe I’ll smile
Because finally I can forget
I want to go to the subway
And jump on its tracks
As the light gets brighter
I wonder if I’ll regret
Maybe I’ll smile
Because finally I can forget
I can’t forget
All the ice cream and sunsets
I can’t forget
How your eyes beam and sun dresses
I can’t forget
How you would scream and get upset
I want to unbuckle my seatbelt..
I want to forget
But I won’t forget
You don’t deserve, to remember alone
Calling all vehicular drivers in this land,
All travelers’ safety is in your hands;
Wear seatbelt, don’t race, over speed or over-take,
You’re not an aviator nor pilot for passengers’ sake;
While driving, avoid drinking and using electronic device
Obey all traffic signals, have license—take my advice.
Its raven skin follows without a 'woof,'
no bark no bite,
darker than a shadow in sunlight.
It reflects in the mirror,
staring with 'Edgar Allan Poe,' ebony eyes.
At dawn it's at the bedside,
wanting to wander into the morning mist.
At twilight it rests its head on my pillow,
stalking, into my sleep.
It sits on the passenger seat,
without a seatbelt, unfocused,
unconcerned, like it has no need to exist.
It plods slowly around the office,
slumping forward, back curved like a 'jack knife.'
Colleagues ignore its obsidian paws,
sore from scabs, resting on the desk.
Its head droops with my sullen, dull ache.
Its tongue looks rough, no saliva drips -
a bit like my cracked lips.
We both seem to breathe in dry air,
as it feeds on my molasses mind.
It has no interest in sticks nor treats,
nor cares to leave my side.
A sinister magnetic faithfulness.
Unmoved, as I vomit black bile.
I wonder how is he a man's best friend?
Rainbow ribbons in her hair
Playing in the grass with no care
Making mud pies in the dirt
Skinny dipping in July no pants no shirt
Playing hide and seek football too
Finger painting pictures under sky blue
Racing the wind playing in the rain
Singing favorite songs pretending to have fame
Riding in the back of an old pickup truck
No seatbelt there on a dare so tough
Catching fireflies and huge June bugs
Sitting by camp fire drinking from a jug
Walking to church for Sunday school
Praying for sinners crazies and fools
Not yet finessed in politically correct
Calling it how you see it no regrets
I'm riding and flying into dimensions beyond the 3rd,
Sweet melodies and harmonies of rhythmic words.
They speak melodiously and deeply to my soul.
I'm riding and flying; I'm losing control.
No seatbelt to buckle into or even think of,
But I'm safe and feeling free, flying like a dove.
Above all pain 'cause Trane, Bird, and Hawk are soulfully saxing,
Sweet, harmonious melodies got me chillaxing.
Free! I'm so free,
And my mind's eye can see.
And my heart can feel,
I'm riding and flying into a peaceful surreal.
Life is full of the unexpected
Both welcomed and not
Never knowing what each day will bring
From life’s mystery pot
So fasten your seatbelt
Enjoy the ride ahead
Try not to dwell on the hard times
Savour all the good times instead
This is for all the forgets that you found. The not coming back but are always around. The next step at losing a back for the frame. Lost in a lesson like “remember my name”. This is an always with a door next to there. A face in a crowd yet a fact of so rare. The never, the notion, the nearer by far. The lesson, the blessing is easy, like a seatbelt for your car. With an over and under in a trip down a lane. The “how to” and “whys” for a second the same. So forget all the figures in a withdraw like a loan. The found is around near in never alone. The detail, the retails are not a sell for a dash. The stars not three bars like a win for the cash. So like all the teachers there’s a reach for a test. The AB plus C in a make for the best. This is an always with the end like in near. With remember my name for a dart-like in dear. This is for the all your if’s with regrets. With better at bat and a base on a yet. So recall the snowfalls with the tracks of your tears. They’ll keep coming back if you never get clear.
The moon has set: bright, revealing its peace
As the radiance of its light gives close warmth
To bail me out of subsequent release
That keep up yelling at distant moon's girth
A lone me derelict to fresh winter
Battling breeze compels silent trees to dance
The hope of summer unto midwinter
Cum a solemn wish longing speedy trance
Fastening my mind unto weather's seatbelt
Driving nature at high speed heating freeze
Yet cheerful moon toasts cold breeze but not melt
Whenever bed bleeds warmth to dry at ease
I prefer real vibes of raw openness
Once in a full yellow moon drunkenness
a deafening thud
seatbelt hurriedly fastened
a fender bender
a cell phone quickly hidden
s/he can't explain what happened
written January 26, 2022
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