You’re driving home
On a Friday night
At 1am
When a white astro van with rusts spots
Speeds past you on the right
Before cutting in front of your shitty sedan
With its perpetual check engine light
Glowing in the dashboard,
His/her front driver side tire close to
Touching the median.
You both get on the cross valley onramp towards Kingston,
The body of the white astro van with rust spots
Rocking side to side
Turning right
As it crosses over the white line on the right
Almost clipping the guard rail,
Kicking up a cloud of dust.
You follow.
The white astro van with rust spots had
A yellow and black sign
Reflecting headlights
Under the windows of the back doors,
"SCHOOL CHILDREN."
You imagine the white astro van with rust spots
Filled with drunk middle school kids,
(ages 7-13)
Wearing colorful puffy winter jackets
And stocking hats,
Small wool mittens gripping beer cans
And pints of cheap gin and whiskey
Covered with brown paper bags.
On a booze cruise
With the school van driver
Earlier in the afternoon,
After school.
The white astro van with rust spots gets off at the Plains
exit
As your shitty sedan heads towards the Luzerne exit,
Five miles ahead,
No Intention of calling the cops,
And nothing seems out of the ordinary.
It's amazing how you can write and make it feel like being there to. I lived in PA awhile ago. It's amazing how certain states give you a feeling. PA was depressing, weird, and made me feel empty.
ReplyDeletei try to document PA (NEPA, more specifically Wilkes-Barre) because it is all of those things and more. It's like a disease that infects you. What part of PA did you live in?
ReplyDeleteYork.
ReplyDeletei lived in harrisburg for a year and a half. that area sucks even more than wilkes-barre. but york does have that reptile park.
ReplyDelete