Driving My 22 Year-Old’s Car
By Louise Robertson
It moves like three rocks at the bottom of a book bag and smells like a dropped soda cup, a torn open packet of barbeque sauce, and a Yu Gi Oh card fading on the dash. It reminds me of the kitten we found mewing under the deck as well as the kibble used to lure him out. Today, it floats me to work, a carriage with smudged windows displaying a vast panorama ahead. This slow chariot handles the long veer, a sharp cutover and— oh god, what soft light fills this space made of tin and fabric reeking of youth’s frankincense, sweat, and myrrh.
Louise Robertson’s poetry has appeared in New Ohio Review, Dialogist, Southern Florida Poetry Journal, and many other publications. It’s been nominated three times for the Best of the Net and twice for a Pushcart and earned numerous other accolades. Her second full-length book of poetry (Body. Voice. Mind. Mouth.) was released late 2025.
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03/19 / Poetry Reading and Conversation with visiting poet-in-residence Sunni Brown Wilkinson & local poet Elizabeth Jacobson / The BBar at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed on Instagram Live/Facebook Live at @swwimmiami / 7-8:30 pm EST / Free
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