by Zoey McKenzie
Question rings, a pebble plinked in a bird bath at dawn
Cold dagger of sound ricochets
Zings and splatters mundane mind clutter
Whale song reverberates, disrupts
Plankton thoughts of work, breakfast,
“Timing belt.
When was I supposed to change my timing belt?
My car leaks oil. I pull the dip stick out of the mysterious
Metal engine innards.
Pinch it between a paper towel, carefully folded and folded
Folded to absorb as much oil as possible
To increase my chances of understanding how much oil is in my car
Draw it back, rub oil off
An ocean of heat waves lapped at the scuffed tires
Of the now silent vehicle
100,000 miles apparently
Question rings, a pebble plinked in a bird bath at dawn
Cold dagger of sound ricochets
Zings and splatters mundane mind clutter
Whale song reverberates, disrupts
Plankton thoughts of work, breakfast,
“Timing belt.
When was I supposed to change my timing belt?
My car leaks oil. I pull the dip stick out of the mysterious
Metal engine innards.
Pinch it between a paper towel, carefully folded and folded
Folded to absorb as much oil as possible
To increase my chances of understanding how much oil is in my car
Draw it back, rub oil off
--en garde!
Clean the never clear etchings
Decipher the message
Sometimes the oil is honey
Sometimes it is leaning towards ink
Sometimes the honey is between the H and the L
Other times I have to tear open a quart
Recently they changed the spout
Spout that normally fit
Holding the quart securely upside down
While it glug-glug-glugged, plastic sides heave
And spew contents
Clean the never clear etchings
Decipher the message
Sometimes the oil is honey
Sometimes it is leaning towards ink
Sometimes the honey is between the H and the L
Other times I have to tear open a quart
Recently they changed the spout
Spout that normally fit
Holding the quart securely upside down
While it glug-glug-glugged, plastic sides heave
And spew contents
That spout is now too big, and oil
Cascades out and around the opening
Spilled wine
Ran down and pooled on the ground
A waste. Whose idea to change
Something that has been the same since before I first started driving old cars?
The mechanic's writing faded
He left an odometer warning on a sticker.
Watch for this number. Your timing belt will only last this long.
The reminder was gone.
In chemistry class, in biology class, they always warned
About marking samples with non-permanent ink.
Warned about losing data
About observations being lost
About knowledge lost
The summer sun was still high in the turquoise sky
When an antifreeze geyser erupted
Steaming and whistling from under the hood
Launching antifreeze in both liquid and gas
Out of vents torn between the joined metal and plastic
Radiators. Metal and plastic.
A quick fix
Once I got all the right parts.
Cascades out and around the opening
Spilled wine
Ran down and pooled on the ground
A waste. Whose idea to change
Something that has been the same since before I first started driving old cars?
The mechanic's writing faded
He left an odometer warning on a sticker.
Watch for this number. Your timing belt will only last this long.
The reminder was gone.
In chemistry class, in biology class, they always warned
About marking samples with non-permanent ink.
Warned about losing data
About observations being lost
About knowledge lost
The summer sun was still high in the turquoise sky
When an antifreeze geyser erupted
Steaming and whistling from under the hood
Launching antifreeze in both liquid and gas
Out of vents torn between the joined metal and plastic
Radiators. Metal and plastic.
A quick fix
Once I got all the right parts.
The only mechanic who believed me
When I told him there was something wrong with the car’s suspension
I described the periodic shudders and staggers
We drove and drove until I finally hit the bump
That restarted the wobble
Grinding metal joints
He knew what was wrong and he knew how to fix it
The only mechanic who knew I noticed more about my car than just the color.
We packed water and snacks, the dog and I
Black nose tip pointed into the wind
Reading the nose paper at 65 MPH
Eyes closed and ears flapping
She ignored me singing along with the radio
She’s been slowly losing her hearing in her old age.
64 in dog years.
Interrupted by a snap and a stumble
All the worrisome lights came on at once
The engine shut off and the steering wheel stiffened
We rode that last gasp, the dog and I
Fought the steering wheel and found a narrow driveway
Coasted off the asphalt and onto gravel and then dirt
Turned towards the shadow of the crumbling wood sign
Of a decades defunct establishment
Baked to charcoal by the sun
When I told him there was something wrong with the car’s suspension
I described the periodic shudders and staggers
We drove and drove until I finally hit the bump
That restarted the wobble
Grinding metal joints
He knew what was wrong and he knew how to fix it
The only mechanic who knew I noticed more about my car than just the color.
We packed water and snacks, the dog and I
Black nose tip pointed into the wind
Reading the nose paper at 65 MPH
Eyes closed and ears flapping
She ignored me singing along with the radio
She’s been slowly losing her hearing in her old age.
64 in dog years.
Interrupted by a snap and a stumble
All the worrisome lights came on at once
The engine shut off and the steering wheel stiffened
We rode that last gasp, the dog and I
Fought the steering wheel and found a narrow driveway
Coasted off the asphalt and onto gravel and then dirt
Turned towards the shadow of the crumbling wood sign
Of a decades defunct establishment
Baked to charcoal by the sun
An ocean of heat waves lapped at the scuffed tires
Of the now silent vehicle
100,000 miles apparently
