Stolen Guilty Moments

This is a poem published in my first chapbook, "Declaration." It describes a moment between work and home, letting music wash over before moving forward.

Urgency raps at

every moment’s door:

calendars and deadlines,

mealtimes and playdates.

Every delay looms,

grips the heart

through the throat,

clenches, squeezes,

forces my hand to the phone,

directs constant calibration.

But tonight, I linger:

I pull the car in;

ignore exhaust that

curls up, dissolves into

neighborhood air;

glance at window lights

that accentuate

evening’s steady creep;

reach for the radio and

turn it up,

nudge back at a world

that pushes inexorably on.

For a stolen fifty-seven

seconds I lean back,

loosen my tie,

close my eyes,

float.

Author's Note

This is published in a collection, but I'm always looking for ways to improve as a poet--so positive reviews and critiques are welcome.