and
i slammed on the brakes and for a long, long time, i couldn't move.
i couldn't
breathe.
somehow, i never knew that
blood was so bright. like fire.
i
pay attention at the wrong
moments - i had never seen death.
i wanted to unsee, though. it wasn't worth the
knowledge.
the body dropped from the
underbelly of an old truck and drug the head in circles on the
pavement.
i should have been sick - i wasn't. i couldn't move.
behind me people lined up and
honked their horns and i wanted to shout
shut up!
show some fucking respect!
but i couldn't
speak.
but i could think, and i thought about
a kitten, curled up on a kid's lap.
i thought about
being young and loving little animals unconditionally, so that even when you grow out of that innocence they're still
your best friends.
and i watched the kitten on the road. and
it was horrible.
eventually, i went around.