patter of tires

I light your
cigarette
and write your
name and number

later
we caravan the
boulevards
in darkness

I hear the
patter of tires
keeping my mindless
count of
stoplights and
streetsigns,
thumbing the matchbook
cover

cold winds blowing
over me
as we park

I think the engine
will not cool tonight

I thumb the matchbook,
engulfed in the expectation
of loneliness

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