It’s over
lives have moved on
my friend OV moved on years ago
out of state
The pandemic calendar dot of April 2020 was a Buick GMC erase board date
on a white board retail calendar
in a Southern looking conference room into Canada
in the black towers of the Ren Cen
Detroit.
people were dying
and our GM work was discussing ventilators
“Years ago” is the post pandemic mental math I have
years are eras
memories are outerbody memories
as the planet spouts
and our stardusts no longer know who we were before and during the lockdown
the first years with non family humans in the pandemic middle
OV and I were our corporate General Motors selves in the black towers
reading the invisible interchange of the people’s levels with unclassified directors
purposeful in the American legacy of mobility
SUVs and trucks
OV was a single swagger and focused on fast times
and an era behind me
OV was known as the gifted one
who knew how to crystalize the confusion of trims, inventory, regions, DMAS, LMAs, and the monthly sales charts
to make the line go up
OV crystalized the bombardment of information and was able to make a simple powerpoint story to the nations dealers
content strategy masked as the three act play
in large banquet hall meetings with men in oversized and untailored suites with no ties
OV would pace, an invisible general
while the VPs pitched his crystal
before all our memories became outer body
in the time of the pre era we had begun running outside
comparing, commiserating, pontificating, understanding
and aspiring to run marathons
conference room chatter shifted to sneakers
our admiration for Sauconys
Endorphins
i was slow walk simple
completion focus
married with a daughter in high school adjusting to the online isolation pandemic
we all were
OV became an outside possibility to our family
A friend I ran with
A friend to hop in cars for 45 min run destinations at Hines Drive and Kensington
lecturing and suggesting Garmin watches
more important than Sauconys
and “you should really do intervals” that took me to absorb that OV lesson
I’ve continued to run
From the greatest gift
and the build up of friendship from OV
that culminated in our home grown NYC postponed Detroit Halloween marathon
up Woodward
where the the sun glory elevated the miles and drivers acknowledged with intrigued smiles when we stopped at curbs
pimps and prostitutes playing relays in muffler rich hatchbacks
sharing with me in Ferndale on Marshall that he carried a blade
Slim Shady stopped at 14 mile in his Beamer, I knew his nose
agony in Birmingham
The MAGA rally with flags and buses and OV gestured while I was vomiting
the way he stared at the mirror at himself while he talked to our small party post marathon
The gift from OV of the Ciele hat inscribed with
Perfect quietude
Freedom
The highest happiness
Never Mind the Pain
i cherish and still run with it, the greatest gift
i remember going to LA fitness a week before lockdown and sitting in a sauna where the conversation was China and bats
the one run in Royal Oak
a dark 630am run before our new webex reality started at 830am
the world was locked down
disappeared from itself
ancient quietness
radical stillness
OV and my Garmin heartbeat
our shared pace and cadence dissected after
the run
our conversation on the cold sidewalks
like talking out loud in the library
farting through the nudge our planet and history was cracking
i yelled on main street “is any one there”
and because I could
and nothing would matter in the greatest gift
in the middle of the era’s three act play
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