The driver behind me slams on their horn—tires screech. Cars on either side of us aren’t moving.
Artificially frigid air blasts through the vents but can’t compete with the power of sunbeams that penetrate the streaked windshield. Beads of sweat form on tiny hairs at my temples my eyes squint away the light, my jaw clenches. My hand tries to block its intensity.
In the gap between my hand and the dusty dashboard a flash of bright orange and black. The Monarch swoops, dives, and dances outside my car soaks up the sun’s warmth in its delicate wings.
For the butterfly, this traffic jam is a perfect audience. Rows of drivers and passengers held in place to enjoy the show.
My raised hand lowers, the other loosens its grip on the steering wheel. I release a breath and the tension in my jaw, sit back and take in the beauty.
Lauren Oertel is a writer, editor, and community organizer based in Austin, Texas. She is a writing workshop facilitator certified in the Amherst Writers & Artists method. Her work has been published in Black Fox Literary, The Westchester Review, Gemini Magazine, The Sun Magazine, and more. She has been a winner and finalist in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction contests with The Letter Review, Writer’s Digest, Prime Number Magazine, and others. Lauren is the coauthor of the book Inside Out: A Texas Prisons Poetry Story, and her debut full-length poetry collection, Scars & Other Luxuries, is forthcoming with Finishing Line Press in November.
