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Self-Portrait with Thunder & Exhaustion

Sudden thunder & spell of rain.
Full night widening its throat.
Soft music inside a black car.
Rivered roads & thick rain.
The warm LED of Motel 6.
Its promise will tempt.
You want headlamps & road.
Stars to hang like bright molars
scattered. Orion’s chest punctured by
the white knife of a half-moon.
Cut along his sternum. If your eyes are heavy,
picture an open ribcage,
a fistful of blood. Become
one with the yellow line.
Nod off.
What brought you here?
Something restless.
Something dark.
You will follow
its shoulder. You will go empty
with high beams. The middle of
nowhere. Nobody but silhouettes.
Trees rustle in the wind, whispering:
Pray for lightning.The hazards blink.
On & off. Off & on.
Engine hums & faith will keep
you throttled. Keep you from skidding.

Let the sky be yours. Salvation.
Go home. Kiss the mouth of dawn.