Meditations Among The Goodyears

Just waiting. My left hand tingles.
Nerve endings, the old wiring
firing up the spine. All
these rubber donuts rated for holding
against the worst of weather,

but so expensive! Tires heaped
as if casually
on sale, as if the heart loved, bypassing
the mathematical brain, so the loose
right hand spins and spends
at random.

But my car just needs a rotation,
its good years, 160,000 miles
and the engine’s strong.

Outside the plate-glass window
the sun revolves
a morning while, inside, time
stands stiff as wheel rims
bright or non-
reflective. When I close
my eyes, the outer light traces red
treadmarks across the lids.
My pulse.

The grease-man calls my name.
My wheels have spun their cycles,
my 20 minutes waiting, done.

Taylor Graham Coal City Review editor Brian Daldorph calls Taylor Graham " a meticulous wordsmith, writing often of her experiences as a rescue dog handler. Every word of each poem is carefully considered, and yet there is fluency and grace to her poems that sometimes seem like the mysterious language of bird tracks in the snow. Taylor helps us to remember our links with the natural world." Graham has published four collections, including Casualties ( Coal City Review) and Looking for Lost ( Hot Pepper Press), as well as poems in myriad publications. She is also on the editorial board of The Acorn, a regional literary journal focussing on the western Sierra. ("Ten Poets to Watch", Writer's Digest April 2000)

Email: Taylor Graham

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