What luck! I remembered to bring
my Herb Alpert CD—any road
is possible when horns
are feisty. If my car breaks down,
goldenrod might mug me. So what?
Here Earth likes to brag up some flower.
Live here? Are you kidding?
I can’t give myself completely
to oaks, wind, and fields.
Tomorrow I’ll be safe again
behind locks, telling stories
on the phone, spreading lies.
originally appeared in Wisconsin Academy Review (1989)