the highways are
empty
the city seems
devoid of life
no movement
the windows all
gone dark
as i drive these
winding one way
corridors
no longer
seeking my
destination
just driving
enjoying the solitude
surrounded by
concrete and glass
monoliths
dedications
to a dead race

on nine eleven
i was sent home
early
because
apparently
the world was
standing still
waiting for
two towers
to drop
again
i was alone
the world eerily
silent
as i wondered
at the mess
locked
in stillness
faux patriotism
blossoming
in the masses
huddled around
screens

the week of the
pandemic
in which
for the first
likely last
as well
time
i was deemed
essential
i just drove
through
downtown
seeing all the things
the daily hustle
grinds
out of view

but slowly
the real plague
vermin
blinking up
at an unfamiliar sun
clogging
the arteries
congesting
the lungs
filled the sleepy
city
once again
so when i find myself
alone
drifting randomly
down empty streets
i turn off
the radio
and let the heaviness
of solitude
drape itself
around my throat
whatever
new calamity
can wait
until i have
lavished in
peace