LITTLE RED

Little Red’s final heroic act
Was waiting in the path of a
Swerving drunk, barreling home
After last call

She put her bed out to him
Let his airbag caress
His cheek like a pillow
Tucking herself in
Folded in half between
His bumper and a lamp post

And that’s how Kelly
Found her noble and loyal
Steed slain and shattered in
The knight

Little Red, who carried
Us to all kinds of places
A beast I never learned
To tame, never mastering
The clutch

But Kelly could coax her gently
Through stalls and shudders
And knew every part of her
Could compensate for her weaknesses
And be as stubborn as she was

We wait for the insurance man
To perform the post-mortem
And cut us a check
For a machine whose worth
Could not be measured in dollars

And as her pieces are scavenged
Or recycled, her spirit spread
Through the aether of metal and bits
I shall remember

Dog hair clinging to the seats
The empty space where
A radio used to be and
Moving my legs when
It was time to change gears