traffic

i need to go the stupid way cause it makes the most sense, parking’s a pain otherwise it’s all otherwise in motion even what’s stopped hums in the heatwave i don’t know anywhere that’s worth going, especially not the places my brain builds up for itself when i dont want six lanes the tradeoff is six times as many lights and stops, nowhere fast, back in situations described in previous poems often driving in my rearview often introducing tailgaters to my brakes main character syndrome often agaitates every block many interactions aren’t safe aren’t worried about consequences i care i’m rude but it’s for protection i don’t like driving at night everyone in the city thinks their life’s a movie thinks lemme just hit this turn causing much skidding a chorus of horns ok i lied sometimes i’m rude with the horn because i’m impatient i hate to be stuck tailgating behind someone taking their sweet ass time, someone high or drunk and idling someone ready to total their car along with someone else’s and flee the scene like the cars tangled in each other’s crushed bumpers left on Girard for days a friend had her door completely busted off by someone who zoomed off not stopping to see if she was okay two nights ago daylight savings at the second 1am much skidding enourmous crashing sound craned out the window reckless person zoomed off sprinted down the stairs debris everywhere luckily none of it mine back upstairs in the street via the window i offer no sympathies to drunk children having their dramas. Not long ago the light on the corner got Slammed right into, it woke me up, car was left where it was for the night, i slept.

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Originally published in Trying–Bottlecap Press

Buy the chapbook at the link above

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By Corey Qureshi (https://linktr.ee/qboxo) 👍