wreck on main street

This is not autobiographical

Spring breeze

Cherry blossoms and magnolia blooms

Squirrels crossing power lines

Bells from the Methodist church across town

My neighbor throws seed for the black birds

She waves and smiles before the front door swallows her inside

Suddenly there's a wreck on main street

It's my cousin and she may be dying

Her skin became a bag for broken bones in just a second

Everything that was structure

Is now flowing chaotically inside  of her

The blood in her veins is stoned

And refuses to stay in the vessels

There's a clavicle in her lung now

Unaffected by the cacophony of sirens

A Mockingbird calls from an Oak

He sounds like a squirrel barking

Then he sounds like a Jay

He reminds me of a musician 

Stealing melodies from the air 

And replacing them with interpretation

Out of the blue I crave a cigarette

Count the years since my last one

There are more sirens now

Police and rescue squads and EMTs

But I won't go see

My neighbor comes running outside and screams at me

from her porch

Her birds scatter like leaves in the wind 

and fly over my yard

Their wings pelt the air 

So fast

Like I imagine her heart by now

Pumping blood recklessly

Pumping blood out of her faster than her body can create it

I glare at my neighbor 

I won't bother to explain it to her

She sees her screaming won't make me go see

She stands silent for a moment

Confounded

She gives up and goes back inside

Another neighbor's dog

Noses its way along the road's edge

Its tail wagging lazily

I wonder if it can smell trouble

I text my sisters

I tell them she's really done it this time

Let's see if her mother can get her out of this one

In the meantime I can tell

The rose bushes are going to be really pretty this year

Reviews

[Bright Ocean Star]

Xavier, this could be a family member from any family on the planet. You've described a wrenching scene that is all too often acted out on the highways of our land, many times with teenagers with too much time and foolishness on their hands...sometimes people never grow up. Thank you for sharing this vivid poem. I like the honesty, the structure and the tone that you've weaved throughout. Excellent write, my friend!

[Gypsy Warrior Queen]

Some times tough love is the only option. You cannot help those whom do not help themselves. It is hard to separate. The separation is imperative if both parties are ever gong to have a chance. I have had to separate myself from a great many things and people over the years...My life went on even if theirs stood still...the world went on..the earth spinning, the clouds gathering, the birds flying....double sided...connected yet separate. I read your works and I wonder always what struggles and achievements bring you to the soulful moments of writing. It seems as if the words just flow onto the paper with a whimsy that is rarely seen anymore. Your talent is extraordinary!

[Sami Khalil]

You have penned wonderfully some daily events in the life of a poet, some great instances and images as if to transport your reader to the scenes and be there as eye witnesses too. Excellent...:)..............

[Ruth]

A Poet's world is real to them - what imagination! Such observation, that is what I love about your writing x

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i like how you mix the emotions and intensity of the moment with the distraction of mundane things...the nosy neighbor...the rose bushes...

the dog's tail wagging....

you really painted a picture here...i was totally engaged..

i like you prefaced this with it not being autobiographical...based on some reactions i get to my pieces, i might have to do that...
we create...but are often taken so literally...oh well...
this is a really smart piece...but i have to leave it now, cause i have to go see for myself what happened out in the street---you made it so real.