Poetry by Carolyn Martin
What were you thinking?
Even in school zones,
the mph would send
you spinning
into wiper blades
or on to the rooftop.
This is the last time –
and I mean this emphatically –
I’m pulling into
Safeway’s parking lot
or the shoulder of I-205.
Heretofore,
you’re on your own.
Don’t get me wrong.
I appreciate
the time you take
to tether webs
between our maple
and Douglas fir.
Last week
your sixty-circle trap
bore witness
to patent artistry.
But please be advised:
stay off my Fit
if you want
to weave another day.
And tell your friends
to avoid the space
between the cars
parked
on our cul-de-sac.
Neighbors intent
on work or groceries
don’t appreciate
the originality.
From associate professor of English to management trainer to retiree, Carolyn Martin has journeyed from New Jersey through California to Oregon to discover Douglas firs, months of rain, and dry summers. Her poems and book reviews have appeared in publications throughout North America, Australia, and the UK, and her fourth collection, A Penchant for Masquerades, was released by Unsolicited Press in 2019. She is currently the poetry editor of Kosmos Quarterly: journal for global transformation. Find out more about Carolyn at www.carolynmartinpoet.com.