NaPoWriMo 7

Monday

After the accident, strangers hurry past
as we pull into the median to check for dents.
Our car armor, polished yet worn,
is now streaked with damage. We dig
in our purses, find proof of existence,
although we're not really sure what that means.
Already the day feels old in its caustic
morning thrum. Every five minutes
an accident occurs—bumper to bumper
in the stop-start lingo of the highway.
We are made vulnerable by the April exhaust,
just one more thing that makes this life heavy.
Makes me think our days are marked with bulleyes
on the backs of cars, how a crack in the road
veers us toward the crack in everything. What else
can we do but shake hands and strap ourselves
back in? My car rattles like bones in the trunk.

Comments

Deb said…
You captured the discombulation
of being in a car accident (one with damage to property only, thank the universe) extremely well.

Glad you're okay!
Anonymous said…
I felt somewhat similar after my car got damaged!

:D
January said…
Ugh. Car accidents are always unsettling. Fortunately the damage was minor and no one got hurt.

Thanks for the kind words.
jillypoet said…
The language in this poem is supreb! Such wonderful phrasing, descriptive--oh that word I can never spell....onomatopaia.

Bones in the trunk. Wow!

I've been there, too. As Deb said, you captured the discombobulation!

Popular Posts