Twenty Six Seconds
You could set a timer
From the second we separate,
To when I shatter
Like a windshield.
Press start as soon as your hands go
to your sides
And mine fumble for keys.
Wait for the two steps to the car.
Pull handle,
Open door,
Start ignition.
And by the time you hit the stairs to
Your house,
I am picking glass out of my hair.
Lynne Schmidt (she/her) is a mental health professional in Maine. Her unpublished memoir, The Right to Live: A Memoir of Abortion has received Maine Nonfiction Award and was a 2018 PNWA finalist, while her poetry has received the Editor's Choice Award for her poem, Baxter, from Frost Meadow Review, and her chapbook, Dead Dog Poems, was honorable mention from Pub House Books. Her work has appeared in Soft Cartel, RESIST/RECLAIM, Royal Rose, Maine Dog Magazine, Alyss Literary, Her Kind Vida, and others. When given the choice, Lynne prefers the company of her three dogs and one cat to humans.
Twitter: @LynneSchmidt @Abortion Chat
Facebook: Lynn(e) Schmidt
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