Accelerating, slowing, stopping,
All in a matter of seconds.
Will the guy behind me stop?
We’re at a stop light,
So I start texting my wife back.
She wants to know
Where I am at all times,
And what I’m doing.
I forgot to text her
Before I left work early,
And I also need to tell her why.
I often look up to check the light,
Just in case the guy behind me
Sees it change before I do,
And gets impatient that I don’t take off
At light speed as soon as it changes.
Will he honk his horn,
Or, worse, will he step on the gas pedal
Before I do?
I don’t want to be the unwilling
Participant of road rage, right now.
I hurry up, all the while,
Filling up with anxiety
About what might happen.
This is a regular occurrence for me,
A risky one, I know,
Even if I only do it when (I hope)
The traffic is stopped.
Maybe I shouldn’t.
Then again, how risky is it
Not to return my wife’s texts
As soon as possible?
The quantum gravity
Of that mass is about
As heavy as it gets,
For this husband!