Deepest Afflictions to Random Speculations

I Remember

I remember the growl of my engine kicking to life
Flapping the rubber grips on my 15" BR tires.
I remember the howl of the wind in our ears
And the sting of its gust in our eyes
The tears that burned down our cheeks from the force of it
Or hair that flapped wildly about our foreheads.

I remember staking a claim in the riverbed on the side of a country road
Stretching from ConCan to Reagan.
We were always more alive out here,
On our way to nowhere.
I remember the light in his eyes and the boldness of his laugh
As he pushed his hips up out of the open passenger window.
He was always more reckless out here,
With only me to see it.

I remember the cold of the winter air
A brisk 50 degrees in the Texas hill country
I remember the burn of the car roof on my back
That sent waves of numbness up my spine
I remember the red of his nose,
And the chill of his fingertips
As we broke gazes from each other to the night sky and back
And the arrows we pointed to the twinkling designs we scarcely could recall

I remember the press of his shoulder against mine that seared his name into my skin, so sharply contrasted with the cold of the wind and the roof
He was a consolation out here,
so much warmer than the rest of the world.
I remember the tangle of our legs
We were squeezed under a single blanket my grandmother had gifted me
He was so much closer out here,
Without the rest of the world to steal him away.