The Gift of the Gas

Driving home from my "not a career-job"
I felt my brow pinch under the weight of the coins
that were not in my pocket
why was the car in front of me going so slowly
when all the others passed too closely 
and too fast
I hadn't remembered to eat
and so I pulled into the gas n go
hoping for an antique sandwich on superhero bread
to swallow as I fought the highway crowd home
the spot by the door was taken of course
by a person who arrived more forcefully than I
I would have to learn to cut people off
if I ever wanted to park by the door
and wouldn't you know he had the skill
to slide into that space
without ever entertaining the notion 
of hanging up the cell phone
so I drove around back
thinking of my gastation gastronomy to be
knowing full well it was going to be
a two for one special
not only tasteless
but also fattening
and in my parking exile
someone had erected a sign in red for me to see
"Free Air" it read

And I stopped for a moment in appreciation
thankful that someone had thought to remind me
that, of course, the air is free
I had forgotten to notice after all these years of breathing
I expanded my lungs
and let the world breathe into me
and smiled
imagine, all this air
for free