SUNDAY AFTERNOON DRIVE

we put the top down
for our Sunday afternoon drive
just to get away for the day, escape
the confines of the city limits
such a lovely day
the sun was high over head
the clouds almost non-existent, perfect
time to go- it was
a bee-line to the expressway
traffic was light
we were making good time, as landscapes
passed by, cars, other vehicles too
neither of us spoke, while
we took it all in, at some point
we were forced to brake quickly
there was lots of commotion up ahead
thick black smoke, two cars engulfed in flames
a third overturned, tire tracks streaked across all lanes
red, white and blue lights everywhere
police in uniform directing traffic through
the breakdown lane as people  were standing about
both sides of the blacktop, they seemed
in shock, crying, all standing still, I saw them
each one, as if reading their minds, saw in their eyes
trying to tell me stories, of which I had no clue, or
was it the feelings for them, in this situation, would I
if I knew them better- yet their stories were not mine
if I could would I?- then we passed by, making up distance
once we cleared the scene we were able to proceed
we went at a much slower speed, considering
what we had just seen, the rest of the day
was uneventful -we ate lunch at a quaint diner set back
from the highway; reaching our apartment at dusk
we turned on the tv, we sat in our  matching chairs
settling  in, we watched the news, nothing had changed
since morning, still violence, mayhem, seemed everywhere
as we smiled to ourselves, glad to be unaffected, we clinked
two glasses sipping our ice cold martini's, shaken, not stirred

By Michael Perry