cab in Tampa

then i’m in a cab in Tampa
and the woman
says that in Christmas they camp
and one year
the cold kept them in the van
with homemade stew
and strings of cranberries

outside the palm trees
snuggle with the humidity
and again the woman says
she’s been driving for 25 years and
when she turns 50
the theme of the party will be
life is highway

aren’t we all just another fare,
another green light to
leave behind.