
How do you go from pedal pressed hard to the floor
Zero to All in less than 10 days
To pumping the brakes
To a hard stop without crashing through the windshield
Heart splayed out on the pavement
2500 little pieces of rust colored red each one indecipherable from the next
Almost impossible to put back together
Find the corner edges first
They’re the most distinctive and make up the outline
Some might say it’s cheating, but where else to begin when everything’s a jumble of broken color
Mulling over the puzzlement and judgement
Pieces of actions leading up to the wreck
Did you flurry through stop signs, yellow lights, cautions, and warnings?
Can something bring foresight to this occasion?
Anything to reframe the drowning of trying to find the middle pieces in a sea of red
And make them whole, again
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men drive by, slowing down,
Wrapping their necks around so their eyes can bulge on the crash site a little longer
No one’s gonna stop for this one, they perceive better
With reconstruction, the marked appearance of
A heart totaled and patched up one too many times
Will be significant
Put the pieces in a box, high on a shelf, to collect dust
Perhaps another five years or so
In the next vehicle you’ll be safe, your heart can’t smash this time
Go fast
Wear a seatbelt
Stay in the driver’s seat
Control the wheel