Tesla

. . . I should be grateful for
my solid middle-class upbringing
but I’m not . . .

I wonder what my dad would say about my son’s new Tesla.
My dad who worked six days a week
in Elmer’s Gas Station and Garage fixing flats and fan belts
changing spark plugs and tuning up engines.
My dad who could never quite get all the dirt and grime off his hands.
My dad who spent his spare time tinkering with the ‘53 Buick
parked in the grass alongside the house.
My dad who didn’t have two nickels to rub together as mom liked to say.

Michael Estabrook has been publishing his poetry in the small press since the 1980s. He has published over 20 collections, a recent one being Controlling Chaos: A Hybrid Poem (Atmosphere Press, 2022). He lives in Acton, Massachusetts. https://michaelestabrook.org/