diesel


you want to take her for a ride
he asked
i looked at her
she was sturdy
white and tall

she has new tires
she's old
but she's good
he said

i reached for the seat belts
played with the electric seat controls
inserted the key
and turned it
she started to purr

take the highway he said
pronouncing each word
with a european accent

on the road
i pressed
with my right foot

you can put her in fifth you know...
he suggested
i looked at the gears
i did not see a number 5
all i saw was a D

step on the clutch
he said
i released the one pedal
and pressed the other one
he shifted to D
and i increase the velocity
and she was purring more than ever

i like the way she feels
i said
my brother drove her
and did not wanted to stop
he added

when it was time to go
he told me price of D
and gave me a business card
with a seaworthy vessel
printed on it