189. 518 Miles

trip doesn’t have a measure
but a fall
comes of it

cold in the way of an apple
(is crisp)

too much road
to hold back the sky

from Schenectady
head first east
to Albany
ducking south
and down

word in my ear
the way along
word in my mouth
back to it

sun in my eyes
instead of vision

(“we have a visor for that”)

in my ear, words
in my mouth, words
mouthwards and
earwards and south

a drop
a swoop
a constriction
at the Tappan Zee

bridge big enough
to keep the sea from us

southward
downward
carward

wake tired to
drive tired to
arrive tired to
be tired

at least there is sunlight

eventually
the Whitestone
the Island
(the Island)

the pattern of
shadow and
light is enough

the pattern of
shadow and
light is enough
for my travels
for my day

the scent of sunlight

leaving by three
& avoiding traffic

though I am merely a small piece of traffic moving along

north and north
but west and
finally into

what darkness
lies between
the mountain and
the mountain
beside it

I am part of that darkness

shadow through lightless night

through 100 miles
and more and west
toward but never to
my birthplace beside
another ocean afar
and a far way off

the car as a weight of night

unlight in place of sunlight

such little music
that comes from
such a dark and
driving place a
car might pass
through on the
way to somewhere
beyond sleep

what is the whether like out there?

who is the wender out there?

motion
replaces
action

getting to
becomes
the final
goal to be

precious how a night
comforts with the
closeness of cold

comforth

I drive
it is a process of continuing
of continuing

at Binghamton and a right turn north

;

tree lit from its base
light into the leafless branches
the tree is flattened by light against continuous night

it is now fan coral
in a sea of night

and I am swimming home but not homeward

north
and north
again

turning west
through darker forms of night
and the road that disappears into them

my sense is that I am floating
within this sea of night
flotsam against the jet

and I might get
and I may have got
through Amber
to Auburn

so what color is the flowing hair of the evening?

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