Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Flight

Flight

He comes to visit
my friend's crazy son.
I'm not sure why.
A frisson of fear
outweighed by compassion
and a bit of wonder.

The year he works at
an auto sales he
arrives in a spiffy silver
four door, AC, push-button locks
something an insurance
salesman might choose. Certainly
not myself.

"Let's take it for a test drive," he says.
"You'll be sold."

Now and then I feed him lunch.
Once, I find him standing at the back
of his car, trunk open,
brushing his teeth.
A jug of water and a spit cup.

He calls me asking
for a ride to the bus station.
I find him leaping around
his living room searching for a sock
an open suitcase on the floor
clothes scattered.

"We just have a few minutes,"
I say.

"Let me drive," he asks as he throws
himself and his suitcase together.
I decline.
Later, I picture myself a prisoner as
he drives past the bus and onward to Maine.

The scent of his aftershave lingers for weeks.

photo courtesy of Willow. For more stories and poems evolving from this image see Magpie Tales.

9 comments:

  1. Suki this is powerful...heavy, sad and at the same time beautiful.

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  2. are you psychic? do you know my mother?

    Not really. But what you hauntingly describe is in all of us,a little, at one time of our lives or another. Except for the after shave, of course.

    You have peaked my curiosity for your next entry.

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  3. Enjoyed reading this sketch of a person.
    The 'show-don't-tell' technique works well here.

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  4. I love this, the realism is wonderful

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  5. Suki, this is amazing. It's your best write, yet.

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  6. Interesting. I left a comment here yesterday or thought I did....anyway, I said that this was quite the experience and you sure do tell a good story...did you change the end?
    my memory may be slipping.

    I sure can read this new format of yours lots easier. Thanks for the change my eyes say!

    And yes, a darned shame we missed that festival! LOL

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  7. Your poems are really good! Each one like a novel condensed into a page..... in a good way. I'm probably putting my foot in my mouth trying to explain that I love your style.

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