A Gaseous Atmosphere

Around town the sound 

of the wind rolling in 

through the foothills 

until the still is interrupted 

by a steady thumping 

coming down the road 

that's letting everybody know 

what song it is and where 

they're going with it. 

Still bumping as it fades 

away into the end of the day 

and again I can hear the wind 

as a motorcycle spins up it's engine 

getting on an onramp to the horizon. 

I'm left wondering was that even 

wind I was hearing 

or just the din 

of the distant highway?

I like it my way better 

so I'm going to forget 

I considered the alternative. 

So anyway, the wind in the hills 

stills the panic in my heart 

as another car speeding off 

kills the silence and comes 

speeding around the curve 

of the yard before vanishing 

into the night. 

All right, 

now this next one is the wind. 

I'm sure of it. 

It can't all be cars as far 

as the ear can hear, can it? 

I remember when the stars 

were clear in the sky 

and with the naked eye 

you could see the Milky Way 

from just outside the city 

but the edifice glitters 

too brightly now 

for the night sky 

to still share it's qualities 

with us, so we send silver seeds

of civilization barrelling out 

taking pictures of creation 

from beyond our smogged up atmosphere 

so that the images captured will be clearer

without the soot in the air. 

I breathe in the remains 

of depleted resources 

burned so we can stay the course 

cheating against Nature's steady tide 

with no concern for all 

of the other things alive 

on the planet with us, 

while we tell lies to our kids 

about how civilized our era is, 

as intentional vehicular manslaughter 

is dismissed in court as normal behavior. 

Premeditated murder of civilians 

on crosswalks 

is specifically legalized 

if any one of them tries 

to block the drivers path 

that driver now has 

a legal right 

to crash into the crowd 

and mow down 

anyone in the road 

even after the public outcried

when was showed the footage 

of the damage 

and deaths 

caused by this 

extreme vehicular violence 

for the sake of impatience

and making political statements.

Then there's silence from corporate media 

that's always trying to sell you a vehicle 

with crumple zones so you can feel protected 

from any objects that might be rejected 

from your path. They'll show you videos 

of how well the car can smash into 

all kinds of barriers 

but it's a lot scarier 

when the bumper 

is crunching 

against the mass 

of human flesh and bones. 

I don't think I'm alone 

in thinking this 

but perhaps my position 

is different from where 

you've been seeing it from. 

You could be focused 

on looking past it

but I'm asking

you to look back 

and react not to just the act itself 

but to how we can now tell 

that the media reaction back then 

was inadequate. 

That the laws that came out of it 

were to protect murders committed 

with a deadly weapon 

that every panicking 

late-stage capitalist 

is driving around in.