contents and discontents

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Monday
September 8, 2003

cars crash. cars break down. cars sit in traffic.
cars overrun the planet. Skoda was the Henry Ford
of the Czech Republic. the name literally means
pity, as in what a. an old joke goes, what are
the orange lines on the rear window for?
to keep
your hands warm as you push it.
up a slight incline
in stop-and-go traffic, i learn first-hand that the
reputation is justified--rearmounted engine smoked
terribly, leaving a steaming puddle on the pavement.
pulled over, refilled radiator, and away we went.
only to get stuck in a giant traffic jam, byproduct
of a multivehicle accident. it gave me time to analyze
the roadside trash, cigarette boxes and empty cans.
same as anywhere. same as everywhere. it's in the air.