'78 Two-Seater Limousine
’78 Two-Seater Limousine
by matt ronquillo
Gasoline finger-
tips tobacco
plug and chiefing
on the way
to get more chaw.
Knowing shadows,
seeing chaos
in the rear-view,
relinquishing it
facetiously.
Never alone,
always around
solitude-induced
illusion people
more full of shit than me.
Road is lancing
at my eyes,
headlights flicker
on and off on
specifically chosen
interchange signs.
A wheeze-laugh
calls out
to the wake,
How many wraiths
does it take
to change four bulbs?
So many ‘ing’ verbs put reader into the seat with you as poem is happening. Abbreviated impressions in poem also gives me that ‘fleeting’ zip-zoom perception that one gets while traveling in a car [vehicle]. Having worked on nightshift so much the past year driving to various locations i can relate to the ‘chaos in the rearview mirror’ and ‘knowing shadows’. It’s very intimidating and scary at times and you do have to ‘relinquish it facetiously’.
Darkness is so symbolic of lonliness also which you bring up with: “Never alone, always around solitude-induced
illusion people more full of shit than me.”–that’s one way to make it thru. The description here seems humorous to me and it may even seem that one might be better off without the ‘solitude-induced illusion people’. Interesting string of words…i like it. Mention of ‘wake’ is metaphor to darkness comparing it to a sea ‘of darkness’ i presume where your car is swooshing thru the darkness like one would make waves and wakes thru water. Nice touch!
The last part finishes with a question: “How many wraiths does it take to change four bulbs?” The mention of Wraiths again brings to the forefront the daunting ‘evil’ of darkness but the question is posed in such a playful way that it would seem the author/character has overcome this feeling associated with the symbolism and has discovered the beauty of night and is at peace with it. That’s only my own interpretation–others may get something else from it. Anyway, excellent piece. It’s abstract enough to make it enough of a ‘riddle poem’ challenging to reader (intriguing) yet some real physical elements as bread crumbs. Great read!
I thought you might like this one, being on the road so much. Nice one picking up the transition to the narrator’s acceptance. I intended that acceptance to be a little more on the mad/manic side than peaceful, but we were essentially thinking the same thing because of the narrator’s perception of the mania as a comfort. Manic episodes to me are like peace anyway, so long as that feeling of elongated rhythm holds out.
Being the man of the road that you are, knowing your affinity for hauling ass through the night on the metal playlist high, I’m thinking you may have relinquished your mind to the road like I sometimes do and felt that feeling of being swallowed up by it. It sure can be fun. Furthermore, as far as that ending goes, its not definitive, more like a question of how the mania ends up for you when you taunt the problems you left behind and let factors outside of you (perhaps seemingly) guide the way, and of how long you can hold out on them. Anyway, that’s sort of what I was feeling as I was writing this one. Had a lot of fun with it. Glad you like!
i would like to navigate pleeze. thank you for experimenting with petite-lined structure. i want you to wear a kercheif blowing in the hoodless vroom-vroom wind.
i owe you a harley davidson bumper sticker.