30:30 2013 - 29

The Wave; The Nod

Poised to cross Main Street to buy
moderate pain tabs and cough drops,
I'm frozen by dusk's eager traffic
home. Insufficient bravery to dare
the parade of lawyer cars; just
enough black ice to be wise. I hear
the sighing calculus of downshift:
a Saab bats its eyes at me, and I cross--
the crosser's motivated walk-
to-clumsy-gallop, as if the gatekeeper
might change his mind. Before I disappear
between the angles of two Jeeps, I give
The Wave and get The Nod. This happens
everywhere, a necessary kindness
paid for with an empty hand.