LatinosUSA

Through the sleep yawning night I drive                 

on a mission of need,                                    

the roadside silhouettes of factory and farm

broken by a necklace                                    

of moving white lights coming toward me.                                     

Able, experienced and resisting sleep                      

my capable pilot                                                       

holds the car steady, continually checking               

temperature, dials and mirror;                                  

watching for speeders and flashing blue lights.                               

Not thinking of comforts at home                            

paging the radio                                                        

in hope of a mind wrenching feature           

I can focus on –to                                                     

combat the white strobe disabling my brain.                                   

And then its upon me, the pilot shouts out              

Help! I take control,                                     

jig dangerously close to a multi wheeled mammoth

imperiously passing at mph plus.                             

My arms shake on the wheel –pilot where are you!                        

Overruled! My sergeant bellows

your auto pilot is in panic mode!

And when I reach for the glove box

I’m barked at. Keep your eyes on the road!                         

I do as I’m told but the choc bar is melting,                                    

my throat is swallowing a stream of saliva,             

I’m trying to assert control.                                      

Mirror! Another big beast is wanting your space!   

I should say thank God                                            

for the sergeant -instead I suck my teeth.                                        

My doc assures me that choc is not good,

it’ll rot your gums and blacken your teeth.                          

I disagree of course; I brush daily…

-and I’m planning to stop and …..                           

The sergeant’s silent, I’m in control. Good!

Asserting myself looking  into passing car cabs

half lit faces stare back

Is that a come-on I ask myself? She’s half my age.

Maybe she’ll stop at the service station?

Suddenly the Sergeant speaks in a disbelieving voice.

Have you got a woman here? For a moment

I’m stunned. You got a plan, he barks, -turn in!

My face is burning as I skew to the left.

Grinning green cats eyes, hatched white lines

slide underneath, the sergeant’s bawling reduce speed!

Up and down over the bumps crawling now,

Halt. Handbrake on. I switch off the engine.

The Sergeant’s words echo in my head.

Out comes the sticky choc bar.

No, I say firmly, coffee and buns.

I feel like a preacher with a message from God

With a flick of the wrist

I lock the car. The plan?

Ditch the pilot, fuck the sergeant,

head for the loo and feed the inner man.

And maybe….

Copyright Tony Ashenden 2024