the turtle in the rearview looks at me with old, dark eyes
autobahn singing grey-toned tunes
beyond the lane a smile
and on my sword
the blood of twitching dragons
“see” i say to my colleague
“i wanna do the right things, not just things/ right&—”
her eyes red with moonlight
“you know what i mean?”
“i think..”
my work phone rings— India
“ok – i’ll check the dates once i’m in the office,
when they stay in Zürich, do they really wanna go to Engelberg?
i would suggest—”
&there’s a weird intimacy in rubbing lips
with concrete at 150 miles per hour
rest-stops
trees
a red Ferrari
i want a fountain
sprinkling over me
dancing in my white bikini&plateau blue
in a cradle with the sunset’s
melting chest
“got a key code for the tank card?”
“yeah, it is–“
i grab a bucket
wash an insect army
from the windscreen’s tainted face,
send an image of my new blue sandals
to my man,
the sun’s fragmented spine&i
in every drop that spills
evaporating from the wiper’s lips
he messages
“oh dang, those shoes are hot”
&i climb back in the Mercedes’ overheated womb
white shirt and business suit
& through the rainbow text
“i’ll be home (check watch) in–“
press delete//deciding
to surprise him
.
today at dVerse we’re celebrating our last OLN before the summer break… doors open at 3pm EST..
happy summer everyone… smiles… i’ll be taking a little blogging holiday and will be back on july 14… see you then..
jaywalking the moon 
Army of bugs the cat would eat, they are a treat lol going all blue suede sandals too, look at you. Bet a fun surprise was had! Beat Brian, yippee!
I love your ending and your varied images. Insect army I won’t forget. Enjoyed the ride. 🙂
great opening line, ha…turtles are special, they carry homes on their backs…and it sets up an immediate contrast with the autobahn…there is a nice freedom in washing your car in your bikini too…smiles. smiling at the text convo with hubs as well…nice surprise…
I LOVE this poem! The turtle grabbed me. Then I enjoyed my way down the page to the big smile of “deciding to surprise him”. Yay!
There are indeed some surprises worth waiting for…I suspect he will be pleased to see those shoes at the doorstep. : -)
What happens if you click your heels together?
[Wir fahren, fahren, fahren,
Auf der Autobahn…]
That was fun. Sounds like a great trip.
this is great! Mercedes’ overheated womb- wow!
&there’s a weird intimacy in rubbing lips
with concrete at 150 miles per hour
That does sound weird, yet FASTinating!
You were really IN a Mercedes? Smiles. Never in my life….though in my next life I am going to request a Mercedes red sports car. I like all the details in your poem and how you wove conversation together with observations. I liked the part about doing things right not just doing things…right. There is something very exotic about taking a call from India, I think. And the touch at the end about surprising him, very touching in another kind of way. Have a good Open Link, Claudia…
An Autobahn ride like an American road trip movie… Oh, those shoes – oh, those surprises!
I think I prefer Audis, but I must say German cars are awesome! I too like the line about doing “the right things, not just things/ right&—” – I yearn for this kind of things too but it can be hard!
I would say the difference of being inside and outside a car is quite different… the turtle in the rear view mirror… and of course a surprise is the best thing that can happen.. Myself I drive French though…
I enjoy your car trips much more than mine. That’s because you transform yours into an artistic experience, though they’re work related. I like the way you notice things and rename them – an army of insects, intimacy in sharing concrete. There are so many descriptive, lovely lines in this. I enjoyed it much, and really like the ending. Oh, and 150 miles per hour? Yikes. Or is it kilometers?
Have a great break Claudia. Hope you have lots of fun.
Here is to all the turtles I loved before and left them behind while driving the Autobahn of life …
Claudia, Claudia, Claudia…still working your visual magic. Those shoes could only ever be HOT! Filled with fun and contrast, I love how this one swings from work to play, from hard road to fizzy feelings. I’m smiling.. and I thank you for that!
Well..you certainly do well to find beauty in the hum drum of the business world..a place i’ll never visit again..and a place i’ll never miss…again..:)Smiles and have great Summer!
Well that was a big smile of an ending :). As always, your imagery here is incredible, love love love the sunset’s melting chest.
Business as usual but much better worded… 🙂
The opening line would make a marvelous micropoem in and of itself. Wonderful imagery throughout. And yes, it’s never good to kiss the concrete while driving.
You continue on with your very personal & unique poetics, getting my adrenaline up with the concrete embrace, the blinding speed, you in that white bikini, you finding reconciliation with the hubs–wow, just wow. Just got back on track with my Cinemagenic series for OLN, & now the summer shutdown; sad face.
I admire the weaving of the everyday with dreams of fountain sprinkling and sun’s fragmented spine ~ I would love to be in that dream car, fast & furious in the streets, smiles ~
Have fun and enjoy your break with your man ~
I like the contrast of the daydreams and everyday routine. Best of all, I like the showing off of the hot blue shoes to the one whose opinion matters most and the surprise awaiting him. 🙂
Hot, everything is so HOT!!! And I suppose you are driving? Turtle in the windshield: love melting all round. Tap those heels together, “There’s no place like home.” Stay safe at those speeds, m’dear!
There are so many layers of inspiration here! Whether nature or cosmopolitan, speed or slow dance, a beautiful view of now, then, or a future full of promise – it’s all served up in designer-word perfection that’s fits from every angle.
Both the fragmentation and connectedness of daily life are set forth here in very appealing ways. k.
Very sassy and confident write tonight Claudia – inventive as ever and fun to read. Your voice is a very distinct one – thanks for the pleasure it gives…
I love the conversations here – like mind’s little wanderings. Some wonderful phrasings, too – these lines especially called to me:
“&there’s a weird intimacy in rubbing lips
with concrete at 150 miles per hour
and
“i want a fountain
sprinkling over me
dancing in my white bikini&plateau blue
in a cradle with the sunset’s
melting chest”
Your poems always take me away to a new place, Claudia. 🙂
I like this combination of mystery and description. I am wondering if the “&” has a special meaning in poetry these days other than “and.” I am seeing it used here and there quite a lot and just wonder if it is a poetry thing I am not aware of.
It would be fun to be gallivanting in the car and be seen, Claudia! Enjoying it all as a pastime but in essence the realities of work culture and environment are imposed! Nicely done Claudia!
Hank
Loved sharing this drive, this urgency to be home with him. Such good use of details, Claudia. Was the turtle a VW, I wonder?
Your writing is so fresh, so immediate and it gets better every write. You took us with you once again!
Great poem Claudia, I hope the surprise was all he and you hoped for. There was a real sense of journey in this poem and I enjoyed it very much.
I enjoyed the turtle reference and the surprising him in the end..enjoyed the ride..
A very enthusiastic piece! Fun with dreams and “I want…” and good, you’re going home! What a surprise! Nice xx
You spin the words exactly right for the mish-mash of thoughts that come into our heads while driving.
Fabulous write! And surprising him… a lovely surprise, I’m sure 😉
Sounds like fun…and surprising him must have been as well. 🙂 Happy you are happy again .
well… its all be said… you find pleasure in the simplest things
“my shoes are business blue but still– a little magical” … I like. 🙂
“and on my sword the blood of twitching dragons” … YOU are awesome.
“i wanna do the right things, not just things/ right&—” … I love this.
“&there’s a weird intimacy in rubbing lips
with concrete” … Love both ideas … rubbing lips as in kissing, but then the horror of what follows, rubbing lips with concrete … which could either just be gross or funny (if intentional), or extremely painful. Like love.
Man, this stanza is fantastic:
“i want a fountain
sprinkling over me
dancing in my white bikini&plateau blue
in a cradle with the sunset’s
melting chest”
Excellent ending. Sometimes we need to take the moment-by-moment information overload out of life. Opt for a little surprise instead.
“to surprise him.”
That last line made me smile. Many thanks. Loved this.
Greetings from London.
Must be fun — or even necessary– to season business trips with a bit of pleasure… or even vice-versa! Enjoyed the ride.
washing the car in a white bikini? Def trying that out this summer… Move on over Claudia…
loved the process here. there is something abut rubbing lips with concrete at that speed and doing the right things that the things right…yes i know them and what it means! glad you surprised him.
there is a joy we find in surprises – that escapes all other news.
smiles – those intimate moments, like sending a pic of your shoes to your man, make this pen accessible and warm ~
I like what you did. Good job.
I’m sure he appreciated the surprise! Sexy shoes and all…
definitely magical shoes. the blood of twitching dragons and that red ferrari nailed me. i had a feeling if i dropped in i would enjoy myself. always a treat to read your stuff.
I can feel the temperature rising!
I like the ending and I want that car and maybe those shoes!