long black Cadillac

underneath that blissful symmetry
of luxury
there, at times,
hides a shifting shadow.

at this point, Thine
hallowed memory
remains
in that car preceding.
there was a plastic bag of a November shock-dream sky.
Hooper's traffic light
seemed not to matter,
HoJo's roof?
as orange as its sherbert.
with Stewart's there
reappeared that orange.
with that orange
came a vanishing of peace,
as that approach
to eastbound Mathis
loomed.

picture:
a malignant day
an approaching barrier island
two sets of chopped white paint
a sheath of dirt-barge stone,
a noon cloud-carpeted sun,
childhood distractions,
a one hundred eighty
degree camera pan
upon a line of haunted vehicles.
headlights on-
to show this runted sponge
that path upon which
there miraged
a wave good-bye.

a final
wave
good-bye.

Author's Note

constructed approximately 2000