XJ6
Once upon a time, I put high value on material stuff.
I preferred to ride the bus, than to buy a car not up to par
With my sophisticated taste. So I walked; and endured
The herd of odorous humanity compacted inside a bus.
And saved my dollars, quarters, and pennies for a car.
There was a guy I was fond of, not in love with, let’s say
Intrigued by. He claimed to be dark, in a brooding, and
Intellectual way. He wrote me a poem titled “Traviesa,”
Although I thought he meant that by my playful ways.
He told me did not get mad, he got even with his co-workers.
He would sneak to the communal fridge and spit on their
Food, or dabble his urine into their bottled drinks.
Out of the blue, one night he said to me: “You’re
Hyper-sensual.” He said this in a peculiar way, as if he
Were commenting on malodorous foot odor, or flatulence.
Something shriveled in me. I felt ridiculed and
Ashamed in a way; I intuited that I had to censor myself.
Now hyper-sensual differs from hyper-sexual; it is another
Type of anomaly. I realized that because of how he had
Been raised, there were only two types of girls. Good or bad.
Censoring myself did not work for me in the end,
And we soon drifted apart after that day.
To start fresh, I decided to get my first car.
I bought a hunter green Jaguar XJ6, from a
Real state woman through the Recycler. I loved it!
It had a sunroof top, and tan leather seats. It fit me
Like a good pair of leather shoes. The only setback
Was, that I really did not know how to drive a car. I
Pondered this as I sat in my Jaguar. Oh, I did have a
Driver's license. Although it was thanks to San Martin
De Porras, that I was granted one. If one considers
That I almost gave whiplash to the DMV examiner,
With my brash, and audacious stops and starts.
I had driven a few times in empty streets while
On dates and such, and only very late at night.
Being self-sufficient, I did not want to impose on my
Siblings too much. So I started the ignition and drove off,
One street at a time. Funny thing happened, with every mile
driven, my confidence surged! Within days, I cautiously
ventured into the 101 fwy., still uninsured. Good thing is
It was during gridlock traffic, so that I could slowly merge in.
A few days after that, I exhilarated in speeding down
The fwy. without red lights to hinder me.
Everything was fine, except I could not parallel park.
One day, I took my mom to lunch and drove into a...
Crowded parking lot. What a weird coincidence that
From the opposite side, the urine and spit guy was also
Arriving driving his compact car. He seemed surprised
To see me not waiting for a bus, but driving a beautiful Jaguar.
I ignored him, and told my mom to hurry up.
After our lengthy lunch, we set out, my mom and I.
I found a deep scratch, like that of a lion’s claw, along
The full length of the driver’s side. I inhaled a deep sigh,
And thanked heaven that I was rid of that nut. Yet, we
Were to meet by chance again. I was in a multiplex ...
In the concession line, when I saw him embracing a rather
Homely girl. She seemed meek and a good girl. He saw me
and looked into my eyes to gauge my reaction. It sucked
Because I was alone. Yet, I quickly realized I’d rather be alone,
Than with someone who ruins beautiful things out of spite.
.
