Streetlights cast long ominous shadows
while leaves start to rise
ever higher until they swarm
around me in dizzying circles.
A sudden flash of headlights shoots by
my hair whips my face frantically;
then metal grunts in a loud, angry crumble
leaving careless trails of shattered glass.
The car in a losing wrestle against one ornery oak
My heart pounds: a relentless drumbeat
car and tree forever etched into my mind
everything, my breath, hangs in the air.
I try to drag my feet towards the car, knowing
the specter of mortality forever just beneath
our seemingly ordinary lives;
sirens wail lamentably moments later.
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E Kraft is a poet who enjoys creating origami art and coding for a non-profit organization. Her poems have been published by The Inlandia Institute, The Hanging Loose Press, The National Poetry Quarterly, and others. She is grateful for everyone who has read her poems or attended her readings.
