Part V · Breath
4:04 am
a monday morning,
driving from iowa to virginia,
halfway through ohio,
i stopped at
a gas station.
nine hours of driving.
the restroom was out of order.
the clerk gave me
a key to the backroom.
i thanked him profusely.
the next stop
was over twenty miles away.
but the kindness in his eyes
is what i remember most
of that drive.
the same kindness i saw in her,
& i hope
that’s the same breath
she left
on my sons.