night driving, ’89

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Danielle McMahon

__________

we drive south
in a silver and rust
toyota pick-up
to meet
                 the blue-brown tide
                 & fizzling foam
of the atlantic, our
pale yellow headlights
scrape miles
through the summer’s night

the engine drones on
an otherwise empty
highway, through flat-lands
                 of rows
                 of dark pine and tobacco

windows down,
stray hairs whip
frantic at my face,
                 freckled
with tingling stars

a white moon trails us
like a lost balloon
& I am
                 swimming
in and out of dreams,
breathing in deep like
salted ocean
                 sighs

the radio plays
A Whiter Shade of Pale
in endless loop

the music swells
golden, haunted

my father’s voice,
warm hushed woodwind,
knows the words

…

silver starlight
pierces through
the bottomless black
sea of sky, casting distant
pine & tobacco fields
                 in mercury
                 in memory

sprays of salt-
water & sweet pine
                 linger
on the cooled August breeze

eyes closed, I breathe
                 in deep
                 the music swells

the voice of my father
melts easy in my dreams:

                 we’re almost there

__________

Danielle McMahon is the author of “Cold rain” in Pittsburgh (Bottlecap Press, 2024), “The Oracle’s Voicemail” (Alien Buddha Press, 2024), “The TV Guide” (Alien Buddha Press, 2024) and a micro-chap titled insecure lovesong (Maverick Duck Press, 2024).

__________

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