Roadkill

by Marlo Herndon

Leaking out against stiff black pavement,      

     oozing chunks of red out          

his pale stomach -the body blocking     

the way to every love

to ever be mine.      

Abhorrent, his limbs stretch out          

as if trying to grab & pin me-     

the indent in his chest

the only fresh thing for miles.      

The sight of the carcass flares my eyes          

creating crisp tears      

that only cling to burn

-why else would this body not turn to ash.

     Simply swerving to steer clear

          of his memory fails me,

     the antlers pierce the tires,

my head thrashes with the fallen glass,

     a shard seeps through & buries itself  

          in my beating heart- it refuses  

     to stay away,

births hands of red

     but not eyes -in protest,

          longing for the gentle love I knew.

     The newborn hands steer

back towards the vile

     memory -that refuses

          to die -that violation he committed

     between my thighs.

He gave me life

     some days, which in the after           

is what kills me, what made the hands      

ignore the road signs,

the memory of the good     

guy I saw before,          

with a smile brighter than streetlights,

     who’d put my hand on the stick shift

to show me we were safe

     to give me an allusion

          of control, before

he took me for that spin,

that forced collision – his keys

     in my ignition against that bedframe-

          he ignored the red lights I gave him.

     What remains of him can be found

on every road

     & every passenger I welcome

          for as long

     as my skin burns &

the organ in my chest remains

     & tries to learn – to live with

          the buried on the way.

About the Writer...

Marlo Herndon is a local poet & author. Currently they are invested in learning from their community & creating more art.

About the Artist...

Jeremy Hall has been going to Savnnah Arts Academy for 4 years and this is one of the pieces he's most proud. He finished this while I had covid in 2021 and believes it shows his best abilities in his most confident areas of expertise.