As I drive across town alone,
it’s not just me in the car
but also floating in my bloodstream
memories of the African savannah,
my peripheral vision keen to any movement
and riding along with me,
the long-honed instincts
of the mountain gorilla
and the narrowed eye of the hawk.

Some part of me is always
on alert for danger
and warns me with breezes
coming in through the gill slits–
a slight pooling in the back
of my throat.  Primal
intuition gets me where
I’m going and then leads
me safely home.