car breaks down
I fucked the traffic
both directions
downhill
uphill
moments of despair
car works again,
miracle of the MMVI
Honda Fit Gods
slow drive to mechanic
my left hand is burnt bad
(kitchen flames)
the mechanic is also injured, bad knee
(weekend football)
neither of us are from here
neither of us totally belong here
It's sort of an invisible understanding
he told me he had once burnt his hand real bad
when he was a chef,
and he showed me the scar on the palm of his hand
as my wound lies beneath the white gauze
the slow Tuesday afternoon goes by
we talk about the business
and football and family
and the price of spark plugs,
eight spark plugs at eleven dollars and twenty five cents each
plus labour
a total of two hundred dollars and sixty two cents,
and the car is fixed
and we shake hands
times are tough.
