The Trunk
It was bumpy
the road at first
jerky movement
a lot
back-and-forth
side to side
Then sharp acceleration
quick decelerations
They’re all accelerations
Suddenly smooth
long, straight monotony
so long, even peaceful
Then wheels break
and break the calm
Hard right, then harder
We went up, I rolled back
We went down, I rolled forth
A squeal to abrupt stop
Pausing
frozen
waiting
now—forever . . . Then
Voices, doors, voices louder, clearer
Latch click, light on,
Silent eyes