I-5 N

A biker sped by,
pushing 70,
with bugs in his beard
and grease in the crooks of his elbows.
Miles of grime on the plates left him stateless.
In the bitch seat,
more than a weekend’s packing
and two tiny flags
where familiar thighs should have been.
He looked like an old man,
but he was just the jacket of a round
fired in ’71.

R. Joseph Capet is a poet, playwright, and essayist whose work has appeared in such magazines as decomP, Montreal Review, ITCH, and Sennaciulo. He currently serves as poetry editor for P.Q. Leer. This fall, he began the pursuit of an MFA at the University of New Orleans.