Different Slants

by Robert M. Katzman © December 17, 2021

 

Seems recent and long ago

Near and far

The dimensions are hazy

I missed her so

When she was 

All together

Instead of fragile ashes 

In Israel

Now she’s in the sand

No, she IS the sand

In the Dead Sea

Cold, wet, sun glinting

Part of it

***

I can plant a tree

Or write a story

Or 

Reach for a poem

Or try to 

Capture

One of the 

Millions of moments

And my words fail

My camera fails

And I become still

***

Then, one day

A bright, clear, cool

Sunny day

I backed out of

My driveway

Across from the school

Saw no traffic

Turned west

To the always

Empty intersection

of North & Green

Then I saw her face

Up in the clouds

So amazing

So mesmerizing

***

And then

And then

I ran the stop sign

A big truck 

speeding toward me

Because he had the right

But I didn’t see him

I saw her

***

And he honked

And she dissolved

And I saw him

And with the same 

Unfathomable reflexes

Which made me 

Small me

Unhittable

So long ago

Standing the center

In dodgeball

***

I slammed the brake

Turned the wheel all the way

Away from the truck

The wheels

Oh, the wheels

All of our wheels screaming

Screeching together

Don’t Die!

Don’t Die! 

***

And the truck sped by

Closer than a breath

Closer than a heartbeat

Closer than makes any sense

No way for me to 

Get away from him

Just he and I

Destined to smash

In an empty intersection

And we didn’t

***

The man pulled over

Parallel to me

An inch from me

Saw my broken face

Saw maybe 

No one was there

Silence

And he asked

In a gentle voice

Which awoke me

Because I was on my way

Speeding to kill him

Then wondering why not

And he said:

“Are you ok?

***

And I looked up

Looked up to see him

That voice

Too many tears to see him

Still a blur now

And I said

“I am so sorry”

And he saw the tears

And they ran

Ran down my face

And he smiled

Waved

Drove away

Watched his red lights

Grow smaller

Then gone

***

And then I felt

Even still

Uncomprehending 

I always will feel

While I breathe

And fail to understand

Over and over

That in between

That gentle man

And my unseeing self

Locked in our

Speeding Steel Coffins

Was 

Her

***