Did you know
you can squeeze
oil from stone?

With enough heat / pressure
+ a dash of wanton capitalism
And you can coerce shale to cry

Teardrops are always surprisingly hot
Though less valued than shale’s
The process feels similarly igneous

—

I scream at the wheel
through tears taken from me:
I imagine you in the passenger seat

next to me
holding me steady
a drink

“Well, sure, it hurts—”
you start gently,
full of kindness,

and then you look at me
with eyes like we could take on
an errant volcano, with aplomb

And you say

I’m gone now
You can’t change that.
But you can do anything

So what are you going to do now?