Traffic

Traffic
Out of the list of things I'm not,
At the top of the page you'd pen: caught.
I'm the peasant king.
African birds pick my teeth clean.
I designate passengers to sit in traffic for me.
I want you to want to see me...
With witnesses and everything.
I don't believe in superstition,Want to catch a full-bodied apparition.
I perfectly conditioned for this ghostly position.
-Tylor Sherman



Traffic
I will throw myself into the rush hour traffic
of his want,
his need.
raw.
No seat belt
only wind
and speed.
Our veins the road map to morning.
-Shannon Masayo



Traffic
I love the safety people feel in their cars
It’s an extension of home; a second mortgage on wheels
And because of that safety, people forget they are surrounded by walls of windows
They forget they are being watched in mile per hour glimpses
And when people know they aren’t being watched, that is when they are at their best
Or worst…
Look to your right, a young girl is putting on lipstick in her mirror
At the same time she is fumbling a Mcgriddle sandwich, while talking on her cell-phone
Judging from her spray on tan, I am sure she like totally likes the word “like”
Look to your left
A businessman drumming his fingers while maintaining the ten and two position
He is bobbing his head in 4/4 timing
Pretty sure I can hear Supertramp playing through his closed windows
They are such a safe band, hence him keeping his hands safely on the wheel
Back to your right
The spray-on tan girl is now digging deep into her nose with her pinky finger
She is up to her second knuckle and is going for broke
Glance to the left
A forty something woman is belting a operatic tune
I can’t hear her voice over the rumble of her 70’s pickup
But her facial grimaces give away her dedication to the role of a driver seat diva
She is in the moment; driving and onstage at the same time
She doesn’t want fame or fortune
All she wants is R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Ya know, just a little bit
Stop light approaching
Glance right
A minivan full of screaming kids
A flustered mother yelling at her red faced husband
Dad reaches back and hammer fists his kids legs
Don’t worry dad, another thirteen years and you will be fat, bald, and stripped of all your dignity, but at least those little bastards will be out of the house
Driving in your car, you get a front row seat to American culture
We are a culture of multi-taskers who practically live in our cars
We eat, drink, converse, have sex, sing, dance and ponder, all in our cars
Whoever invents the toilet-car seat will make a fortune; we would never leave our rolling homes
I am filing a patent as soon as I am done with this
Anyways, the next time you’re stuck in traffic, look around and observe
And enjoy the motion picture
-Ryan Baker