At 10:13 pm we got onto I-75 going south
I asked is there always this much traffic
She told me there is probably
A closed lane
Or two
Or an accident

But thank god it was just road work
It slows us down enough
We don’t need
A tragedy
On our hands

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen
A cop car on that road
So I sped the whole way
Thinking my destination better
Than my car’s drab upholstery

It could be the end of me any day
I could die in a 2003 Toyota Corolla S
And cause for another driver
This bottleneck
Or a pileup

The lane bent and forced us onto the shoulder
So that we were a flick of the wrist
Away from the barrier
The pavement rattled my teeth
I gripped the wheel with both hands
Wrists stiff
I wondered whether my strain might
Cause my control to waver
A surge of strength jerking us left
I tried to put the thought out of my head
How easily this 80 mph metal carriage might
Ruin our pitiful bodies from this angle

I asked does the road work ever end
She said of course not