Lift from a Priest

We drive along
the quiet heat and fields
join in with the ‘sleepy eye game’
- you need an early start
to play this one

He drops the Sat-Nav
as we approach a busy junction
he scrambles around by his feet
searching
with his hands
I grip my leather bag
and recall laminated in-flight cards
instructions on how to ‘Brace Brace’

This is not the only searching
he does
he takes liberties with my privacy
he wants to know
if I live by the commandments
we’ve know each other
for two hours
he wants to know
if I have sexual relations with my girl
yes
only two hours
BUT
it’s much harder work
being offended
when you only understand one word
in five

When I tell him
she doesn’t go to mass
he winces
pulls his fat lower lip
to his chin

We both know it will happen
the end will come for both of us
and he smiles
like a man with inside knowledge
and secrets
I want to tell him my secrets

I want to tell him about the whore
in Amsterdam
about how she took my
money
and smiled as she knelt on the floor
I want to explain my inside knowledge
the beauty and benefits
of warm marijuana poured over pages
of Childish and Carver
but
my Italian dictionary
only translates so much

He continues with his questions
and
I continue with my answers
both of us avoiding any real opinion
I don’t want to walk
and he’d rather not have to throw me out

When I get back
I tell her what he said
she calls him a “shameless bastard”
and I drink some coffee
to try
and stay awake
knowing next time
I’ll take the train