New Traffic Pattern

take the rain. wear the sun. reluctant thieves in fumbling intersections. divide the rope. split the skin. in anxious numbers. that still pretend to know the whole.

chase the ladder. level the slope. bargain with the wind. for the miles that claim to know us.

thread the needle. find the knot forgiving. like so many scars that once were blood.

we chase the road. loud enough to surrender. to the yellows and the reds. driven by the practical apocalypse of broken hearts.

the bandage curls. tight with infection. the sickness boasts  its colors. all hope and pus. raw meat spoiling inside a cold oven.