Kristen de Kline #73 - just another trail of light

it was just another trail of light to come home to
the set of headlights shone     not brightly
but enough to illuminate the car you lay in, seats stretched down
you'd talk about winning the Lotto perfect jobs money falling from the sky pots of gold at the end of the rainbow     but it was the light you looked at together
the light that trailed across your bodies     like shadows     warm, gentle

you'd become friends with it    the trail of light
your son and you     lay still, played dead
on the leather seats     where you slept
it was always broken    the sleep     but
the trail of light     revved up the driveway
accelerated, quickly braked      and then
paused     for thought

your boy asked if cars had souls?
you weren't sure how to reply     could a vehicle manufactured on a foreign conveyer belt
     have a heart?
you said sssshhhh, listen ... after the trail of light     lingers, fades
shadows our bodies     like a goodnight cloak     maybe then
we can hear the car's heart
     beat-beat-beating

it was only a few weeks later you realised the headlights had become
familial:  the trail of lights were comforting
in the confined metallic space you began to play games:
casting hand shadow puppets of rabbits dogs crabs crocodiles
teeming across the windscreen     running over your bodies

they reached out to you     the animalistic puppets     they kissed you goodnight
shadows caressing your flesh
trails of light shining in places that were beyond     darkness
beyond     making sense     beyond
                                                       beyond
it was only a trail of light     only a poem
but it was revving beating kissing
running rings across your bodies
not pausing not thinking
it was only a trail of light