The Distance Of The Cosmos Poem by Robert Rorabeck

If and when you fall in love with the ocean halfway,
The sun comes up smiling, saying,
I have seen life on other planets more than twice
The distance from me to you—
And I have loved it better, distant and alien in my way.
This reminds you of your father
Who has a tenth grade education but who
Has always worked for himself
But now, approaching sixty, has finally
Caved in and is driving a company truck cross country.
This, as it so happens, is the most common job in
The country—and you imagine him, passing on the highway
Rolling against the overgrowths of ivy—
Doesn’t he seem to be going the wrong way,
Like the life-giving sun shining upon the distance of the cosmos.