The engine is off but the car still ticks

The engine is off but the car still ticks,

a metal cooling in the driveway’s dark.

I held the document like a stack of bricks

until I left a permanent, white mark.

I showed him the dates and the lawyer's seal,

I watched his mouth go quiet and small.

There is a victory that you don't want to feel,

like watching a man back into a wall.

My knuckles are pale, a bloodless gray,

clutching the key with its serrated edge.

I got exactly what I wanted today

and drove it right over the ledge.