Deadbeat Water

Know how the sprinklers trace great oaks
Boned up again
It's like a curse I hold
Tracing the trim white lines
To the sewers and drains
To the rivers and lakes
To evaporate and return as rain

We barrelled a car across the state
Wore out our tapes
Halted on salted brakes (?)
Between receding lights
The wind clicked through the breeze
The alternator's shot
The dashboard lights shut off

The car was dark
We began to freeze
We drummed our hands on our knees
A tuneless tomb marked for home
Came through rythm free