I clung to the neck of the road
Its spine tingled as I wound free
Its symmetry was out of limits
Like a spiral springing to be free

I corkscrewed into the highway
The heat was so hot, it was cold
I was traveling down Route 66
When a mind trap did explode

Out of the depths of my mind
A dark shadow took the wheel
It tightened like a seatbelt
Fastened for a psychedelic thrill

The wheel went counter clockwise
Pounding the pavement with force
Unleashing the powers of darkness
As it drilled through a molten course

This dark angel of night was Hades bound
He was driven to reach the fiery seas
I sat frozen in this hot rod to Hell
Bargaining with death to set me free

Death was covered in ashes
His eyes were like two lit coals
He reached in and pulled at my insides
Trying to untangle my soul

I could feel my conscience
It was floating in despair
I drifted into a deep sleep
When an angel lit a flare

There in the corner of my mind
A chandelier was hung and blessed
This was my invitation to
Frighten away this uninvited guest

I shined the light of my eyes
Deep into death’s sunken dark being
He twisted and unfastened
Memories of my mind trap fleeing

I looked into my rearview mirrors
There were flames in showers of red
That’s when I saw the dark shadow
Exit right into the City of the Dead

Parting is such sweet joy
I indulged in countless prayers
That was the night
I bid farewell to drugs and despair

I put life in reverse
To unleash this toxic spell
My car rocketed backwards
Like a bat out of Hell

I cruise down the highway
My dice hanging on the mirror
The odds are with me now
I have nothing more to fear

©Kathy Paysen 2009