The Final Ride

               The Final Ride
Requiem for my van – 613,000km in 13 years

     A million miles…
               Well, not quite, but close enough
     To earn her a place
               In the annals of impossibility.

     A super service chariot
               Rollin’ down the highway,
     A weekly commuter train
               Between earth and Heaven,
     A Canada-U.S. ferry
               To the Master’s sacred Feet.

     I wanted to enshrine her
               In the back yard,
     Paint her in brilliant patterns
               Like an Indian elephant.

     I wanted to bind her to me
               With the clinging vines of memory,
     Hide her rusting body
               With my death-denying dreams.

     In the end, I opted for a post-med puja
               Complete with incense and garlands,
     A final round-the-block journey
               Crammed full of friends
     Whose praise and laughter and God-songs
               Gave her the best possible farewell ride.

– Hladini Wilson.

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