Driving Blind

by J. K. Durick

Before the ultimate - the mountain road
at midnight, downtown traffic, midday -
you should practice, take 'er out
on a familiar stretch, like here to the store
or even more, from home to cousin Farley's,
just beyond the one lane bridge in Bethel,
the way you've been over and over
like a cliche you say so often
the car could do it without you.

It's worth the risk you spend -
you close your eyes, give way to sounds
and a falling; you fall into cozy darkness
that's yours, a pleasure you relax into
with time - your grip loosens;
your body begins to dream, lighten, lift....

Here's a privacy, almost complete -
Beethoven's ninth with full chorus plays;
the tires hiss, bump slightly, hum;
breezes stir, you move further along,
teeter on the edge of dreams; you float, then fly;
beyond the bounds of sight
you become a part of the night -
as startled, as aware.