I wonder if the car behind me can get any closer

20 over isn’t fast enough

The city installs speed bumps to slow us all down

I watch three consecutive cars turn right on red

The sign next to the light says NO TURN ON RED

At work everyone’s waistline expands

From month to month

For losing weight there are no plans

Simple carbohydrates line the countertop

The phones in our palms cause more of a cortisol rush

It never stops

Everyone’s plugged in but out of touch

There’s more pills than apps

No one can sleep, no one can focus

Just a little more sugar or debt, how apt

No one will notice

Behind seat belts and screens

Sometimes I want to scream

Behind closed blinds chasing dollar signs

Clicking and rounding

Expanding at what cost

The idea of freedom is drowning

Is everyone lost

At the end of the day I step away

From the blaring screen and then I cut myself out of the seat belt

I leave the phone

Stand tall, go for a walk

I don’t eat anything

It’s the best I’ve felt

My neighbor says, “It’s dangerous out there”

But I don’t care

I don’t listen to what she said

I get to the end of the street where the motorists and pedestrians meet

I turn right on red

In a different sort of commute

Not living for retirement

Or overconsuming in a world that’s spent

The fat, the corporate buildings melt away

Going as slowly as I want

I find myself heading toward the bay