Felon

Felon

Perspiration clings to his forehead
as his foot smashes the accelerator;
A single key
         orchestrates his death song.
The “new property” snarls as its tires
         sizzle on the asphalt.
The symphony of wailing sirens
         pursues him down the throat
         of a choked highway.

He fondles the shift and surges ahead.
The wind slaps him, but
         it cannot halt
         an angry typhoon
         of flesh and steel.

A tear forms in the man’s eye.
Why did it have to be like this?
Why did I get involved in this
         sort of thing?
Shaking his head, he crushes the pedal harder.          

The man is hit with a violent rattle;
the right rear tire has punctured.
The car loses control and somersaults
         over the pavement,
like a failed takeoff.

His vision blurs as he concludes
         his final refrain.