Thirty Years Behind The Wheel Poem by Cretan Maineiac

That fall morning after an
Ali fight on
Free TV, all was

crisp, raw, October
gold & burnt
red. Got a permission

slip to leave school early, returning only to
offer my shocked
friends a ride home. No one

there to instruct me into taking my
lefts too sharp, step
on it, or keep both hands on the

wheel. 'Looks like you finally learned how to
drive, ' sd.
the uniform, pen in hand, Secretary of

State Gartley's autograph
making it
all official, just

thirty years ago
today, i think, pacing
the curb in the

low sun & stiff
breeze, waiting
for a lift to work.


(October 16,2007)