In Praise of Trucks

Embrace
the winter drive and
the rain snorters rubber
acrobats on acid tumbling Niagara
Falls on the move down the
trans-Canada highway in a hurry in a hurry in a hurry.
Praise the dry bulkers lowboys
curtain-siders
trucks and pups; bow before reefers car-carrying trailers tankers
semi-trailer bottom dumpers flatbeds and dry lifters. How they
nudge the humble Honda snot
sneezing blacktop farting along through a crowd and
when they jostle each other up the meagre
pass with shoulders hunched forward into the
weather and in the cabs the drivers turn wheels like minions
of the underworld screwing hatch covers on the
lid of hell to keep the fires down. Praise
their bossy schoolyard bully who pushes you down in
the snow when your nose is already
bleeding they will hawk up loads of spit and cast
gravel from the deep pockets of their unconcern shouting
give way with their headlight beaming bright
haloes of anger move aside let them
pass let them pass.