the mercy of the road

the mercy of the road

tonight

i saw a raccoon that had been

struck on the road

as i was driving home

he was flicking his fat

raccoon body

panicked in the air

a broken shoulder

face on the yellow line

and this was time

on a broken string

or a snot strand going down

but still hanging in there

this must be the

mercy

of the road

and I thought of my cat

and you

as I watched it

writhe and suffer

i can’t just leave it be

i would expect more from the world

if it was me

road kill suspended

like our love

his partner for the road

was already streaks

of abstract painting

on mixed media

a big white line

recklessly thrown

like Pollock

it is made for this light

yellow streetlights

yellow lines

and a dark wet canvas

from a soft soft rain

sprayed in pain

like our love

you were a twisted mistress

with your stiletto moods

those sharp wet shoes

and the way that you could

‘messy up a canvas’

an avante garde lover

you tore me open too

so I have too much in common

with mister raccoon

mr. writhing and waiting

for the end of the pain

or a careful hand to scoop me away

into a cardboard box

lined with an old gray sweatshirt

and nurse my wounds

but the mercy of the road

is approaching

such a beautiful creature

would strike me if I tried to help

and this is a dangerous corner

and in the soft and yellow light

i saw your scared yellow eyes

time for a decision

here

but fear gives way

to moments

imagine a long expansive field

and the tree on the hill

and you are falling

and I am only here on this stone

a leap to action

is ineffective at best

time is a terrible dealer

for a creature in the road

i planned the mercy act

but, head or body first?

you were wider than my tire

and more pain was not the plan

and alas

better slow

or fast?

if only I had a

machete

or a shovel

but instead

i watched from the comfort

of the breakdown lane

as you bounced and bled

under the bellies of

seven bounding racecars

barreling straight ahead

because

the world

does not watch for

creatures

in the road

it is eating a sandwich

and scanning radio stations

and watching the world above

those sad yellow lines

you were

an onion in a blender

brought tears to my eyes

like our love

after the violence subsided

i turned a light to your

wreckage

lying in the road

still like a damp fog

on the swamp of

these days

and you were a hammock

in the summer

not a single motion

not even a breath

and you were a beautiful

creature

an empty blanket

on a Sunday

the mercy of the road

was a swift

executioner

but I could have been

quicker

so my sinful hesitation

will haunt me

for a while

like our love

i could have

backed over it good

with my truck or trust

the road-kill of our love

mercy killing the writhing creature

a beautiful

canvas on the road

or laying beside it

looking up at the sky

to keep you from

being scared and lonely

and waiting for

the mercy

of

the road