R is for runner

Late Night Traffic Jam


A surrogate mother outlines
the legal intricacies of surrogacy
and a Middle Eastern oud wheedles
on the FM station. It matters
tonight, what's offered to entertain.

The flashing sign did not say
we would spend thirty-five
minutes virtually stationary
on a stretch of road usually
traversed in five minutes.

But there we were, five lanes
converging to the one I was
idling in, heavy trucks urging
themselves into small spaces.
What we were lacking were

runners. 

Plants spreading by stems
which throw out roots at
nodes could have carpeted
the freeway by the time

we broke free, and sped
off at the Western Ring Road
as reaction turbines, a
rotating system of blades
driven by fired-up blood

 doing a runner!

(1. one who or that which runs  2. a competitor in a race
3. a messenger  4. a messenger of a bank, broker etc
5. one acting as a collector, agent, or the like for a bank,
broker etc  6. one whose business it is to solicit trade
or patronage  7. something in or on which something else
runs or moves, as the strips of wood that guide a drawer,
the rails supporting the sliding seat of a rowing boat etc
8. either of the long pieces of wood or metal on which a
sledge or the like slides  9. the blade of a skate  10. a sharp
curved blade used to open a furrow for placing seed
11. the rotating system of blades driven by the fluid passing
through a reaction turbine  12. a roller on which something
moves along  13. an operator or manager, as of a machine
14. a long narrow rug, suitable for a hall or staircase  15. a
long narrow strip of linen, embroidery, lace or the like, for
placing across a table  16. [Bot.] a slender prostrate stem
which throws out roots at its nodes or end, thus producing
new plants; a plant that spreads by such stems)