Jake's Flea Market

westbound
the prairies are the front of the car

wheatfields
and beyond the wheatfields grasslands grow
up out of the upsloped land and cover the hood

halfway up the grasslands the foothills rise
and fall where the hood buckles

where the foothills collide
into the horizon the mountains are 
mangled where the front of the car crumples

where the snow veins
up the sides of cliffs that are shaded
from the sun   where the snow cones
the highest peaks   bared metal glints
from ragged edges

but the sun the sun melts
the snow melts   the bared metal and liquid drips
drips drips into a trickle trickles
into a gathering of trickles that stream
into a gathering of streams that flow
into a gathering of flows   their motor heard
as they accelerate down the mountains down 
the foothills down   the grasslands down 
the wheatfields down   toward the windshield