eta
my feet on the dusty dash, a slow
dissection begins, unzips
the highway space behind
my eyes, I unsee
honey-nut loops we left
swelling in milk, sticky counter
drying citrus spills
brought with us noise
in the backseat, though I barely
hear it. Because familiar miles go
behind us, and the road below us
blurs and finally life’s
a snapshot, motionless
look at how their eyes have changed
in the light of their iPads, we
take turns stealing glances
through the rearview, we have
entered cartoon kingdom
passed a billboard Jesus
in sweet bliss, getting there
how quick, like roads
childhood ends, and
I’ll try my best one day
to peel in one piece, this memory
too, but like sun-warmed
candy wrappers tearing
may occur, a little evidence of all that
innocence
might fray