“Thank you Ma’am,” Uncle
would say on those one lane
island roads, cart tracks really,
when an ongoing vehicle
would pull off and let him
pass. Sometimes, it’d be
“if you please” instead,
when the dust was highest
and it wasn’t clear which
car would give way
first. Bear in mind this happened
at about the pace of turtles
courting, males facing females,
slowly nodding their heads up
and down, side to side
hours at a time.