car smoke
for paul

and when i say punch it
punch it,
make me push the damn thing up a mountain,
say anything is a mountain.

i'm not heavy but i'm sinking into solid
rocks.
toss me another cigarette so i can quit that too.

i didn't even mark up my arms with all the glass shards
from the windshield.
then i forgot you didn't actually run me over.

forgot that i'm alive,
and can tell you stories about the times
when i needed just one punch to keep me in line,
nothing too serious.