As I slowly inch toward the toll booth
A guy in a black SUV
Cuts
In front of me
Pretends I’m not there
Simply edges forward
In his massive black machine
I mutter but I do nothing
However
If this guy had done
This
To my mother
She would
Without a second’s hesitation
Slam her car into his
Leap out
Of hers
Smash his windshield
With a crow bar
While swearing at him
Like a wild woman
And as the guy would
Jump out of his vehicle
Running toward her
Screaming
“Are you crazy?”
She would swiftly kick him in the nuts
And as he would crumble to the ground
Holding his privates
(This magnificent fury
Beyond his comprehension)
He would simply reiterate “Are
You crazy?”
What a woman
Notes: This poem was previously published in African American Review (2007) and is reprinted here by permission of William J. Harris. It is part of the portfolio “I Hope You Like Being Here with Me: The Work of William J. Harris,” curated by Howard Rambsy II.
Source: Poetry (February 2023)
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