Traffic piles behind a truck rent
open, spilling onto the hard
black road. A thousand headlights glint
like prayer candles lit to ward
off harm. They make a line of light,
the land's boundary with a starred
velvet sky. Children stir tonight,
and careful mothers pull their sheets
snug. The sleepwalkers wake from bright
dreams to flint cobbles and chilled feet.
Did the crash tremble and resound,
echoing down each empty street
and alleyway until it found
an attentive ear? All is still
for a moment, then quick around
the bend comes that harsh clanging shrill.