You slide into the car and turn
the wheel, pull into reverse and out
of the parking lot, and get into this thing
called head space. It feels a little
like being in this world and not---
you hear the news on the radio, then switch
to music from the Spotify playlist; see
the orange road construction and detour
signs and the water creeping onto the road
in that same spot it always does in front
of the apartments by the river, meaning the tide
is high. And you're there but not there, your hand
knowing to steer left or right, your foot knowing
to slow down or step on the brakes, though your heart
might just now be finally catching up to whatever
your mind didn't want to think about before.