Another drive
The sound of
Wind and engines
And wheels crunching gravel
Pedestrians crossing
A woman with a stroller
A man with a dog
A student walking to school
And the evil withered soul
Who lives in my skull
Loads another reel
Into the projector of my mind’s eye
I watch, cold, as
The bodies go up and over
The windshield cracking in spiderwebs
Blood smearing, screams, crunching bones
And the pistons roar, hungry for fuel
The crankshaft groaning as
The tires claw forward, ripping flesh
The air overflowing with
Agony
Exhaust
My heart races as I grip the steering wheel
Foot on the brake, pressing hard
Thinking shouted promises
I won’t
I won’t
I won’t
I watch them walk by
My mind screaming
My foot restless on the brake, as if
The accelerator has become a rattlesnake
My grip tightens
As I shake my head sharply
Hoping I might dislodge the thoughts
That have burrowed into me like ticks
Then the light turns
From red to green, and
I check the crosswalk, and
I check the crosswalk, and
I check the crosswalk
Until I’m sure, and
The guilt runs wild
As the voice in my head whispers
Be careful
Or it will happen someday