Broken Down

Engine coughed beneath the cracked glass,

steam rising like a ghost from the hood.

Rain hammered soft against the roof,

streetlight flickered, casting tremors.

Smoke coiled, a snake refusing to move.

I pulled the wheel, hill silent except

for my breath and the wet city sigh.

The car quit like a man turned away,

staring at the broken wires,

a heart gone cold beneath the hood.

I sat still, rain running down glass,

waiting for something I couldn’t name.