Stalled Engine Hum

The sun, low, caught the windshield

of the sedan ahead. A flash.

Then another. Stop.

And stop again.

The low hum of engines,

a collective sigh.

My own engine, just ticking.

I found the chip. A ridged curl,

stuck in the dark

between the seat and the console.

Faintly orange.

A dead thing, really.

Dust on it, like a thin skin.

It had been there days.

Weeks, maybe.

Forgotten.

Until this quiet.

Until everything stopped.