ducks in a row

steer clear

stay away

order a hamburger

suck a shake

come up for air in time.

tiny twigs in my petite pea brain

snap and I freak

screaming at my

true companion co pilot

consuming pieces of every good thing

sure, there are guide wires intact

among the idle and hot, aglide

left to puncture and tangle

stoked by wild stories fading

as we trip to

those were the days

Beware the finery

Valco Chemical Refinery

enhances cottonseed oil

with Wessonality

smells like fried chicken combo down Wilson Rd.

with some sinister clinging

blend of overripe cantaloupe

on the low notes

and the high spice of a chemist’s pits

at the top end

kids hold their breath

at the red light

but I can’t help it, every time

I inhale the depth of this smell

and wonder

at how

it barely tickles my ancient alarms