Car Wars

I liked the Audi, you fancied the Nissan 4x4,
I admired the German build quality, you wanted more
legroom, headroom, electric mirrors on the door,
something taller, grander, seats further from the floor.
We argued, I swore (under my breath) that no way
would I buy a Japanese car.

We test drove both, the salesman pretending to ignore
the silence that developed in the front seats, the velour
armrest a veritable Berlin Wall. There would be no perestroika
in this cold war, no SATNAV route through the impasse,
no coup de gras, to end the abstract misery
of choosing a fucking car