Lucky the Wonder Olds

was a gift handed down from her parents
hundred and sixty thousand miles
bad engine mounts
transmission full of loose metal

after three months
never filled it more than halfway
a full tank seemed like an investment
in a future that might not come

would park on campus for night classes
pop the hood, pop the trunk
because every liquid in that car would disappear
eventually and unpredictably

deconstructed William Carlos Williams
with motor oil on my hands
and a constant worry about being stranded
in the midst of Westmoreland County farmland

fuckin’ hated that car

yet there were some nights on US 22
too cold for state troopers to bother writing tickets
the roads were dry and clear
still enough power steering fluid
and the transmission warmed up enough
to get the torque from the V6 to the wheels
Lucky the Wonder Olds
offered the delusion of limitless speed
and I felt infinite

 Failed death metal singer turned professor, Matthew Ussia is director of Duquesne University’s First Year Writing Program in spite of the fact that he got a C- in freshman writing and was rejected from Duquesne’s MA program. He is also an editor, podcaster, post-doom thereminist, softcore punk, postpunk backup singer, social media burnout, and sentient organic matter.  His first book, The Red Glass Cat, was published by Alien Buddha Press in 2021. His second book, also published by Alien Buddha Press, Saturday Night on Earth was published in 2025. His writings have appeared in Mister Rogers and Philosophy, Future Humans in Fiction and Film, North of Oxford, MadSwirl, Trailer Park Quarterly, The Chiron Review, and Pittsburgh Quarterly among others.  More information can be found at www.matthewussia.com.