Thursday, June 18, 2020

351 Cleveland



image from motortrend.com


351 Cleveland

“They say you only go around once, but in a 
muscle car, you go around two or three times.”
--Tim Allen.

The first time that I
glanced out the kitchen window
and saw the raspberry
dawn’s rays dancing on its long
hood and down its raked fastback,

I was stunned by my
1973 Mustang, muscled
black on black, resting buff on
raised-letter radials and chrome
magnums, its polished sleekness

stretched skin-tight over
thick channeled Detroit steel.
On city streets and
fast lanes on the freeway, I
had to always rein it in.

I loved the glimpses
I would catch as it glided
across the cold face of
glass buildings. It was Pantara-
bred pumped iron. In traffic

it sliced like a shark
midst schools of lesser vehicles.
At twilight I would
drop down through the darkness of
tall trees in my raven cruiser,

scattering fat gravel,
with deep notched treads, embracing
the golden stardust
that winked deep
into is ebon wax.


Glenn Buttkus

Imagist poetry

Posted over at d'Verse Poets Pub MTB

14 comments:

Jane Dougherty said...

I'm not a car person, but your description makes this one sound almost animate :)

Laura Bloomsbury said...

such vivid impressions this Mustang cast
"scattering fat gravel,
with deep notched treads," probably my favourite line but so many to choose from

Frank J. Tassone said...

A #kyoka sequence feast for the senses, in tribute to one of the most iconic, vintage American cars Detroit ever produced! Bravo!

Jade Li said...

You are giving me some idea of why people fall in love with their cars. Sounds like a Prince of Horsepower. The gold glitters in the ebon wax is such beautiful imagery.

Vivian Zems said...

Vroom! Vroom! Great ride, Glenn :)

Mystic_Mom said...

So many colors and flavors of awesome here...well done!!

Ron. Lavalette said...

I had a car, once. Not like THIS car, but..

lynn__ said...

Wow, a cool ride for sure...gotta reign in a Mustang!

Debi Swim said...

A man talking about his car is a whole 'nother' language. Sounds so cool!

Kim M. Russell said...

I‘m not a car person either, Glenn, but you enchanted me with the ‘raspberry / dawn’s rays dancing on its long / hood and down its raked fastback’ and ‘its polished sleekness / stretched skin-tight over / thick channeled Detroit steel.’ I also like the sibilant sharpness of ‘sliced like a shark’ and the image of a ‘raven cruiser [...] embracing / the golden stardust / that winked deep / into its ebon wax.’

Jedediah Smith said...

Love those early 70s Mustangs, and your words show the poetry and music in that car's lines.

Ken Gierke said...

You bring the car to life, Glenn.

Unknown said...

Didn't Queen have a song, "In love With My Car"?
I enjoyed this.

Kerfe said...

I was going to almost echo what Jane already said. I myself have never owned a car, but as a teenager envied those families with Mustangs. My younger daughter, who barely drives, gets excited every single time she spots one. A special breed indeed.