I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with cars. I like the physics. I often like the looks. But otherwise I'm mostly uninterested. The passion they inspire in others sticks in mind. That's the only reason I can find for fixating on rat-rods for today's great prompt from Carolee Sherwood. The rest just kinda happened.

The rat-rod purrs you to sleep.
Delicate sensibilities hide
when it comes 'round,
scurrying into warm dark sleep.

The rougher sensibilities shoulder
each other for a view.
They stick around,
peeking between legs, over a shoulder.

Suddenly they see their place and feel
and poke and discover
many things round.
Gears in motion are those that can feel

their fingers lacing and embracing
spinning pistons to loud strokes
moving around
to their purpose, all of them bracing

for full-throttle collisions, skidding curves,
clasping their rivets, seizing
that time around
crepuscule for themselves until the curves

buckle and straighten and lay themselves out
with solid lines for speed, wheel-
perfect, spin round
and fast and push it all, everything, flat out

with the roaring revs, again and again
to a squeeling burn,
coming around
gently a soft bend and over once again

meadows and rolls rocking the rough to sleep.
The garage's warm light
curling around
that warm night, the rat-rod purrs lovely sleep.