Drive

		The long black car is waiting
		at the corner, idling slow.
		As yet he hasn't noticed me
		and I haven't far to go.

		If only I can make it home
		before my number's drawn,
		just one more time to see your face
		in the comfort of the dawn.

		The sun is still in hiding
		as the limo starts to move.
		The driver and his passenger
		have nothing left to prove.

		They are empty in the spirit
		and the flesh is off the bone.
		The casket's open in the back
		and the driver's on the phone

		I'm hiding in the shadows
		as I see them gurgling past.
		I see your window dead ahead
		and I'm suddenly aghast

		For the two have now dismounted
		and are making for your door,
		so I leap into the empty car
		and I hear the engine roar.

		I head out onto Ventura
		while the two of them give chase
		and I'm looking in the rearview
		and I see a dead man's face.

		I cry out and turn to face him
		as I'm slamming on the brake
		but the limousine is empty
		and I do a double take.

		Then the door is quickly opened
		and a stranger's sitting down
		and I know I'll drive forever
		through the back streets of this town.

		Now I see him riding shotgun
		and I wear a suit of black
		and we're cruising down the causeway
		with a casket in the back.
		
		
		(First published in Snoozine - 2024)