Late night drives
always help me think
the farther away from home I get
the further I see in to my future
dazzling lights
blur on the speckled windscreen
then starburst through the dust
I can never seem to get off my specs

Don't wanna turn around
not feeling the need to go back
the closer I get to home
the more memories that come back
of a life I've lived, of one
I could never get on track
the road is wet I should slow down

The steering wheel my punching bag
my microphone, my audience
a place to rest my head when I'm sad
empty seats are empty
just like empty me without the envy
and
I can't see the street signs
'*** I don't care to

You’re a bumper riding
Traffic sliding
Maniac on wheels.
You make me want to
Back up into you
So you know how it feels.
You’re a narcissistic
Unrealistic
Self-important brat.
Somebody needs to
Bend you over a knee
To show you where it’s at.

You may be a good daddy at home
And your family is glad to see you.
But when you get behind the wheel
Other drivers are sad to see you.

You zip around us fast
Breaking traffic laws.
And flipping us the finger
If you get a blow out
Or maybe hit a tree
Perhaps nobody will linger.
We’ll shake our heads
We might call the cops
And sadly report the wreck,
But to tell the honest truth
It’s hard to feel sorry if your
Rudeness breaks your neck.

You may be a loving hubby at home
But not out on the street,
The way you treat your neighbors
Is anything but sweet.

If there is anything to karma
And of course, to dharma
You will get yours soon.
The payback should eventually
Teach you not to be so much like
The Creature from the Black Lagoon.
What’s the hurry anyway?
Where are you rushing to
In your hiked-up truck?
You’re not dead yet
Thus so far you haven’t run
Through your streak of luck.

oh give it any name,
a martyr, king,
clown, fighter,
warrior, film star,
singer, cricketer...

but tell me
that the road
will last
this monsoon,

that it will not
soon resemble
the great craters
of the moon,

that you will
not dig up here,
suddenly
remembering
about some
buried gold...

tell me, will
I ever say-
*"let us walk
down our
good old
road again"

Body exhausted
          Eyes
Falling asleep
           Going
60mph in the
          Rain.

Body exhausted
          mind
Falling behind
          little details        
          lost in time.

Floating
            Floating
                        Floa­ting.

© Jo Tomso

"i think you're
extremely depressed"
you announced
turning off the fork in the road

(well look who's
finally catching on)

"i think that's
extremely offensive"
i replied
turning up the stereo.

"you never want to
do anything anymore
you just want to stay home
all alone in your hot room"

(maybe because that's the one
place where i'm safe to be myself)

"there's a big
world out there
and how are you
going to see it this way?"

(cue that one song about the world
being better off without me)

"mom
i'm tired."

(why do you always
decide to talk at me
on my way to or from
where i don't want to be?)

"well maybe if you
stopped telling yourself
you were tired all the time
you would be less tired!
or maybe if you
stopped drinking
coffee when you
get home from work."

"it doesn't matter
i won't sleep anyway."

"it might help
if you really tried
aren't you taking your
melatonin supplement?"

(i am not taking my
melatonin supplement
because it stopped having
any effect on me months ago
but i'm not about to
tell you that)

"we want to have
fun with you
even dad's commenting
that you don't want
to do anything
and we want you to
go out to grandma's and
grandma wants to take
you on a trip and i want
to take you on a trip
i've been planning it for
two years and i want
you to be actively involved
and i'm upset that you'll
talk to your friends but
not me and i feel like
you don't love me anymore
and i've failed somehow
as a parent and
and"

(and i've
stopped listening.)

"don't turn up
the music
we're having a
conversation here
why can't you go
back to the good
wholesome stuff
you used to listen to?"

(maybe if you wanted
to have a conversation
here you could stop
talking and start
listening to what
i'm not saying and the
lyrics i always sing
along with over you or
maybe you could stop thinking
i'm still who i used to be)

"i think you're
extremely depressed."

*(no **** sherlock
i'm not o-*******-kay
but i wonder why you
didn't notice a year ago.)