I turn up the radio
to mute the inner voice saying,
"Turn around."
I am days of highways away
and driving blind
because in my mind,
I am standing on that bridge,
pretending I'm no longer afraid
of heights
and falling.

I leaned my back against the rail
to see if the stars were any closer.
They weren't, but you were.
Like a match ready to light,
a fire pushing back
the last Spring chill in the night air.
The world was warming up,
and we were just getting started.
An engine turning over, and
an empty back seat.
I said, "I'll tell you when to stop."

I have a few thousand miles
and you
in the rear view.
Nothing was ever that free.

11/20/2014

Posted on 11/25/2014
Copyright © 2024 Meredith C Hartwell