i am a student
of the herd mentality
the psychology of
the human psyche
as it applies to
driving in texas

the fast lane is
accurate only in
fits and starts of
eventual progress
they stay two inches
apart and shift forward
army ants on the
prowl for sustenance
never leaving a space
for fear another may
creep ten miserable feet
farther ahead of them

the middle lane
tends to be the fastest
in the midday mayhem
due to the more cautious
drivers leaving gaps
in which the angry
drivers use to race
ahead a single car
length from where they
originally were sitting
somehow managing to
drive twice as far
and go half the distance
but those same gaps
allow for less jarring
sudden complete stops

the right lane is
a fool’s errand of
mistaken progress where
the constant stream of
exiting cars beguiles
hiding the cars that
are entering ahead
the lane for the bold
who are willing to
thread the needle and
see five moves ahead
but in reality is filled
with the ones that don’t
quite have the testicular
fortitude for the
necessary maneuvering

i turn the music up
or whisper poetry to
the happy little sparrows
predicting the patterns
in the current of
traffic induced madness