Driving Lesson

Just take the mountain curves

as tightly to the inside and

as fast as surface conditions permit

and the road's edge

or yellow center line allow

my father was saying,

concentrating on my desire to learn

all the secrets of driving.

What he meant to tell me,

or so I imagine, was stay alert,

that all roads take caution, pose 

on-coming lessons, deep curves 

impossible to anticipate at any age.

The easy lesson wound down Woodside Road

toward home that summer I was sixteen.

The roads coming made you drive straighter,

beyond anything you could think you wanted, 

away from wherever you intended to go.

Even as you sometimes thrilled

to their terrible ride.