Engine Hood Up

Rain taps slow,

drumming on the hood open

like a countdown.

Headlights flicker,

a spotlight on dripping steel.

I crouch beneath a stoplight

that never seems to turn green.

The engine’s silence hums louder

than the street’s restless sigh.

Wet fingers trail over cold metal—

no spark, no start.

Cars pass, their lights slicing past me,

a blur of motion I can’t join.

The world moves

but I’m stalled

between wet pavement and breath.