Tailgating the Ambulance by Laurie Kuntz

Tailgating the Ambulance

We must have been reeling,
my hand straddling your thigh,
the possession I had over you
more intoxicating than the speed limit we broke
tailgating the ambulance, so close,
I could see the old woman, her hand
resting on the brow of her husband strapped to a gurney,
I wondered aloud—would we be together that long?
You faltered, in that tentative voice, the one
that still keeps you from making promises,
yet here we are sharing sciatica stories—

We stopped for a red light,
the ambulance did not.

It is only now that I hear the sirens beginning to sound.

by Laurie Kuntz

Editor’s Note: This interesting poem shows the emotional complexity of a relationship through the lens of a single event, drawing the reader into contemplation about the nature of commitment.