RUSTBUCKET IN A FIELD WITH FLOWERS

The glitzy thing must have hauled itself

to the far side of the ditch and rolled over

like a pregnant dog about to burst.

Once described as zippy by salesmen

who use German as an adjective.

As a minor roadside attraction it has its charm:

cottage-bound families let their cameras

jaw at the hull. A squat bunker

that rain lugs into its rust years.

In the back seat, running on fumes,

field mice fuck like teenagers.

The glove compartment’s loosened maw

is a small bed for a clutch of heather.

It’s been standing at the road’s doorbell

for what must be years, a rough and unexpected

bouquet thrust briefly into a skeptical life.

A mechanical bull that, in a stunning reversal,

hogties you with awe.

But it’s what people want: flowers.