crash

by Derek Richards

there you are
fractured
polished nails
spinning
in strips
electric doors stutter the howling
i turn the cell to vibrate
imagine
cigarettes

the atlantic suddenly smells of smoldering steel
summer trees bent for the camera
poets and police notes
suspecting booze
blood and rosaries smear the dashboard
the radio still works

they fed you morphine, my dear
confirming the day fatal
regardless of medical charts and vital signs
you sway broken
legs spread like a romance novel
when you read my card
i watched your eyes
staring
at the drip

an alignmenet of rubber stained tourists
detail photos of the crime scene
red high-heels and wine bottles
tic-tacs and marlboros
they say you broke both collarbones
snapped your spine
and you will lose your left foot
they fed you morphine, my dear

i stand outside
smoking
guessing the name of each pretty nurse
bouncing through the doors
i can hear the siren of wasted tires
anticipate the impact


*originally published in Breadcrumb Scabs