Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Flight Magpie Tales #71 Poem

Flight

He comes to visit
my friend's crazy son.
I'm not sure why.
A frisson of fear
outweighed by compassion
and a bit of wonder.

The year he works at
an auto sales he
arrives in a spiffy silver
four door, AC, push-button locks
something an insurance
salesman might choose. Certainly
not myself.

"Let's take it for a test drive," he says.
"You'll be sold."

Now and then I feed him lunch.
Once, I find him standing at the back
of his car, trunk open,
brushing his teeth.
A jug of water and a spit cup.

He calls me asking
for a ride to the bus station.
I find him leaping around
his living room searching for a sock
an open suitcase on the floor
clothes scattered.

"We just have a few minutes,"
I say.

"Let me drive," he asks as he throws
himself and his suitcase together.
I decline.
Later, I picture myself a prisoner as
he drives past the bus and onward to Maine.

The scent of his aftershave lingers for weeks.

photo courtesy of Willow. For more stories and poems evolving from this image see Magpie Tales.

12 comments:

patti said...

I love this Suki and want the story to go on...

Niamh said...

fantastic, such tense and compelling narrative

Lynn Cohen said...

What an experience. I have to believe this all really happened.
So well told.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Unnerving for sure. As Niamh said 'tense'.

Robin said...

This seems so real....so full of tension, but also full of sadness....

Beautifully written - you drew all of us in...

Love to you and that "ball of fur" sleeping at your feet......

♥ Robin ♥

soulbrush said...

Fantastic, I agree I want it to continue too.

studio lolo said...

oh my, what a tale and so wonderfully written! yes, more please.♥

~Babs said...

Hi Suki,
I've missed so much in Blogland lately, but certainly glad not to have missed this poem!
I think I knew this guy in another life,,but that's maybe only because you are so GOOD at this writing thing.
Your poetry is always so visual, but it does seem warm weather really agrees with you,,,,this is excellent!

Kelly M said...

I also am DYING for this story to go on and on. I'd be turning pages all night.

Cris, Artist in Oregon said...

Well phooey.. I wanted to find out what was going to happen next....

Lynne with an e said...

Wow. You made me feel like I know this guy. Thank goodness he left! Wonderfully imagined and so succinctly expressed, with just the right slightly off-kilter details to convey his personality and its effect on you (us!)

Teri and her Stylish Adventure Cats said...

...a little creepy but I can't look away.