Die Cast Metal

There’s a fiery Corvette wizzin’ by
Passing up the traffic jam
On the Hook Rug Turnpike
Three squad cars give wailing chase
Losing him at the Linoleum Tile exit
He pulls up alongside a rusty old Chevelle
It was always my favorite
They were always wanted for something
And they usually got away
But this afternoon was a suicide run
They fly up the Hallway Interstate
And the Chevelle tail ends the Fire Bird
Sends him spinning into the Nova
And they wreck on the roadside
The black and whites are coming up quick
When they take the dangerous road
Up the side of Love Seat Mountain
You gotta have the right horse power for this trip
The incline is insane
Some how the cops are in tow
They hit the top and know it’s over
They idle side by side
Corvette’s thinking about his only son
How long it’s been since they’ve seen each other
How long it’ll be now
He revs up and gives Chevelle a wink
Blasts over the edge into Blue Carpet Canyon
Takes fifteen minutes to slam to the ground
Spinning and rolling about ninety two times
Before the end
Chevelle takes a long gulp of bourbon
The squad cars parked behind him
Begging him not to
‘you have so much to li…’
Chevelle pulls a picture from his glove box
His ol’ lady in a sun dress
Drops it in his lap and hammers the gas
He hit’s the edge and flies high
The front end dips in the air
He’s wishing he’d done it all different
He’s praying to saints for salvation
And just when he’s ready for the impact
Dad says, “Dinner time.”
And he lands softly in my corduroy pocket
Tomorrow’s a new day
Count your blessings, Chevelle


Joshua Fink