A poem of highway fury and existential gridlock, where a slow-driving Tesla becomes the villain in a daily epic. Righteous rage, self-doubt, and petty triumph merge at the red light, as impatience and the need to move forward crash against the lesson no one wants to learn.

A memory of recovery, regret, and unexpected mentorship, this poem traces the legend of “Briefcase Mike”—an old-timer whose wisdom outlasted his labels. Set in fluorescent church basements and the fractured suburbs, it honors the flawed fellowship that makes survival possible, and the gratitude that lingers long after the meetings end.

This brief, incantatory poem tracks the journey from hunger to devastation and back again, where survival means bearing fire—not for comfort, but for transformation. Scars become testament, and flame is both mercy and resistance against the void. In the end, what’s left isn’t healing, but the refusal to accept silence.