Dad’s Dodge
by Steve Mandes III

Route 220 North,
past Breezewood
and then Dad’s Dodge blows
steam out of her engine
as if she’s exploding.

Full stop:

I bail,
fleeing for my life,
ready to duck—

Steam!

I turn around,
no Jude,
only his voice yelling
“Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!”
as he sits inside the Dodge,
hitting her dashboard with his fist.

Steve Mandes III recently received his MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore.  His poetry has appeared in The Red River Review, The Muse, Welter, and The Unknown Writer. He has another poem forthcoming in Xanadu.  Recently, he has published Kiss Big Life, a hand bound book of art and poetry.

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