Daniel Zomparelli
For Cynara Geissler
Sweat beads as the light flies in, blinks
red, red, green. I hit the gas pedal
and my cart juts forward hitting
the princess. She hesitated too much
and now her kart is slow to start.
We slide in and out of the streets
my kart skidding past floating question
marks. Three green shells bubble
up around me, spinning, waiting
for me to release them. I’m not
used to the protection, they
weigh down body until you come up
and one of them takes you
away. I can hear you “woah woah
woah woah’ing” behind me but
another question mark has already
broken and mushrooms rush my
heart. I let small sighs burst from my lips
as the kart shoots forward. I think
about you, just as I cross the finish
line, how simple this all was,
how quickly it all floated away.
There is still a floating question
mark that never exploded.