Haibun: Spinning On Ice

My car was spinning and I had no control.

When I worked in Endicott that winter day, I was racing to the office. My former manager, Brian, was going to give me a ride to Albany, NY, for our monthly sales meeting. Taking the exit ramp at 50 mph so I wouldn’t be late, I hit black ice. Black ice is that ice that’s there but you can’t see it or it looks like a drying puddle from a previous storm.

Just before I straightened out my turn coming off the exit, my car started spinning. Looking out my drivers side window, I saw the medium half a road away. Coming into my second spin, it was fast approaching. Suddenly my car stopped spinning. I stopped less than an inch away from the concrete medium. No scratches or anything. 

I thought for sure I was going to cave my door in. I then thought of how fortunate I was that no cars where coming through the other lane. Then I thought I was going to be late and hold Brian up if I kept thinking, so I took off.

In a moment, I was in so many different worlds as my mind was processing things. I changed like the flash rivers change and become memories in a flash under the desert sun.

tiny rivers etch

the desert floor until the

winter sun returns