DRINK the waterfront 

Riding along, someone else driving, 

I sat up and looked straight ahead 
through the windshield

instead of sideways and up, 

playing the alphabet game with the billboards 

and said, I AM a contender, even if somehow
I don’t contend. 

I got out of the backseat, out of the car

and looked it over - the car - and it was with me, 

on my side
it even threw a rod

(steiger; too depressed; inside himself).

I got up in the front seat

with the key

with the ignition

with the wheel

and then -- well, what would you do?

Right; that! Drive. Floor it. 

To hell with the pedestrian.