Last to Leave

blanched light leaks

from necessary white bulb

into Piranesi’s parking basement 

dead air cloistered

by intense nothingness

in endless hall of muted hues

imaginary garage dust 

cling to actual throat

breathtaking 

my SUV

sole squatter left

disheveled dilettante

golden sheen shimmers sadly

obscured by crusted grime

once nestled among gleaming peers

or crammed between competing cars

made to look straight

an optical illusion

that only my closest neighbors 

knew and hated

but now that neighbor’s gone

structure becomes clear

Chipped geometric pillars 

section off smooth grey skin

A1, A2, A3 … 

like the echo of heavy footfalls

sticky oil drippings 

tucked in neat rows 

3-foot by 2-foot 

black residual heartbeat

show the center of past engines

those splotches 

consistently 1 foot 

from concrete slab 

trapezoidal prisms

that told people when to stop

then faded dividers

white lines on a grey floor 

line after line after 

line provide order Here

but now that neighbor’s gone

I become clear

off center

over the curb

angle askew

once golden SUV

alone in A3

no footfalls forthcoming