Holding my breath

 

Osceola County, Florida, Summer 2002

 

Northbound on the turnpike

across vague acres

at evening’s beginning.

 

The green-eyed passenger ignores me

hurt and angry by some shit

I said or didn’t.

I could’ve done better

for her

but what matters more

just then

to me—

the immense roll cloud

its quiet distance

overwhelming the one between us.

 

Wipers off, I know

we’ll make the plunge

soon enough.

 

The terrible, jealous Buddha

will rake shame

and love

and leave

eventually.

And I know

I’ll drive this turnpike again

an open jewel box

in the passenger seat

and brown eyes in my thoughts

undenied and spotlit.

 

StereoStory#693


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Brian A. Salmons is a writer and translator from Orlando, Florida. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Eyedrum Periodically, Ekphrastic Review, Arkansas International, Levee Magazine, Mantis, NonBinary Review, Memoir Mixtapes, Sunlight Press, Poets Reading the News, O:JA&L, The Light Ekphrastic, Eratio, and others, including anthologies from YellowJacket Press and TL;DR Press. He also hosts The Ekphrastic Review's podcast, TERcets.