a fatal distraction
life-altering and warm
I can feel the wheel
worn and smooth
familiar and slipping
as we careen blind around a turn
a tempting distraction
all I have to do is glance--
eyes on the road
the future lies ahead
street signs and no passing zones
careers and colleges
my windshield's a mess
and my gps never shuts up
never shuts off
never takes me anywhere
the world doesn't want me to go
maybe if I reached over--
eyes on the road
and there's no time to
look out the window
there's no time
and all the other cars whip past
and I'm being left behind
and all I want to do is glance--
eyes on the road
--at my foolish distraction
sitting shotgun in my car
you reach for the radio
and all I want to do is grab your hand
eyes on the road.
it's raining now
big drops like alligator tears
it's been raining in my mind for years,
my memories drenched
with regret and doubt
what if I had turned left 12 miles back
what if at the rest stop,
I'd kicked you out
what if there's no destination
and we just drive until
our tanks run dry
what if I took my eyes off the road
for a moment
a fleeting distraction
life-filling and warm
eyes on the road.
would it matter
how deeply I fell into your smile
how quickly my gaze was trapped
how fully my heart was thrown
into the shotgun seat of my car?
would it matter
if at the same moment
we were torn violently apart
by the truck,
by the wall,
by the cliff,
by the careless
and fatal moment
my eyes met yours.
---
