Salt licks my boots, cold and viscious.
Sweaty anger rides my hands from skin to
vinyl, white knuckled speed. Frozen in mid-grip.
My teeth grit against each other, my tongue
held back. Blood trickles in miniscule
amounts from the place where my jaws came
together.

Eyes glare forward, hard, and concentrating,
sending out the tension. And fear that
writhes up my legs, through my stomach, over
my throat.

No sound. no light. Just me. in a moment.
Where the wheels turned against the grain.
The car spins in the tracks a bit, and
recovers to its home path.

And I let out a breath. My muscles ease, and
in the back seat, my two boys share a
giggle, oblivious to the preciousness of a
second.

KJ Rath May 2005