stella

oh stella, old gal
it breaks my ever-lovin' heart today
to know
that you took
your last
zoom
down the 'boulevard'
of green-tree'd, blue-sky'd
life

who else
has been by my side
through all the laughter
tears
funerals
celebrations
kisses

the ditches
& unfortunate encounters
with springtime snowshower hydroplaning
or
keys
locked
inside
(dare I crawl through the trunk?)

the times you
saved
my
life

the songs
belted
(when perhaps you wished the windows to be open or the laryngitis
to kick in).

i will forever
love
chevrolet
not just
for a taj mahal song

but because you got me through 225,803 miles
of a beautiful life.

the good with the bad gal.

RIP to the independence of my youth!

(Stella = my 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier who took a knee today...)

insurmountable

when you can't go back to correct
the mistakes that you've made
and
moving forward
seems tantamount to a deep sea dive to hell
and back
how do you put
one foot
in front of the other
& just take it one day at a time.

when does crawling out of the abyss you've fallen into
end?
will it ever feel like breathing again
and not gulping for air you
forgot to inhale during moments
stressed
and strained
and hot red
& itchy

shiny bright beaming blue sky
sun rays
moon shine
i see and feel
your light
my pores sop it up
like salty earth to rain.

i want to
and continue to
believe
yet
...
yet...

y e t ...
my hope flag's
flyin'
kinda
low.