"Pole Position"

Written By

Zachary Houle

(No. 4 in the Atari 2600 Poems Series)

When I drove into the other vehicle

Bumped out into the rumble strip

I was stunned

The realism of the surroundings stunning, too (For its time)

For a minute, I forgot where I thought I really was

In Japan,

Racing Needless to say, I didn’t qualify

Condemned to simply restart the race

Try once again to make it beyond that opening lap

There was a reason for my recklessness on the track

On that futile attempt at joining the fray

It was because I’d become distracted:

There were no cup holders in the basement couch To hold the beer

Taking sips with my hands on the stick

Was a challenge I just wasn’t up to,

I suppose

There is one thing that offered relief and respite:

At least, there was no police officer around

At least, not like the other time...

Some stories are left unspoken

Author Blurb