"Athazagoraphobia" by Yvonne Higgins Leach

Poetry

Photo by Chan Hoi on Unsplash

Athazagoraphobia

My good friend drives the Ford Focus
through the windy and shoulderless roads
between Manzanillo and Tenacatita, Mexico.
The wall of blurry greenery flashes by like thoughts.
Next to the roadside, the occasional marker
where the body slammed hard.
Did the soul rise in confusion?
Others are sturdy crosses decorated with fake flowers
and handmade wreaths. Photos lean at the bases.
So many in succession, it could be a makeshift graveyard.
A quick turn? Too many drinks?
A driver overcorrected? Worn tires?
Our tires inadvertently grip my side of the road
and I see the two of us toppling in this American-made machine
over and over, strewn in bits and bones across
the steep hillside, hidden among plants I cannot name.

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About the Poet:

Yvonne Higgins Leach’s second collection of poems In the Spaces Between Us was published last fall by Kelsay Books. Her first collection Another Autumn was published by Cherry Grove Collections in 2014. She spent decades balancing a career in communications and public relations, raising a family, and pursuing her love of writing poetry. Her latest passion is working with shelter dogs. She splits her time living on Vashon Island and in Spokane, Washington. For more information, visit www.yvonnehigginsleach.com