The road was empty tonight,
And I thought of you,
Boy I thought I knew,
Thrown from the seat of an automobile
By a road slick with rain.
I thought of how the road shimmers when wet,
A reflection of such demanding beams,
Green and red and yellow thrown into night so black
Fog lights would not breach its bank.

I wondered how the steering wheel felt beneath
Your hands, if you gripped it like a life line, fingers
Red with fire, if you let go thinking that you might fly,
Blown away by a kinder force.
You, boy I do not know, boy
I will not know.

Tonight the road seems too smooth beneath my
Tires, the rain dried up since yesterday. Leaves
Are only leaves and valleys are only valleys,
Not red carpets soaked or design flaws in the infrastructure.
I am driving in golden heels, asking for an accident,
But somehow I am safe, and you were driving too fast
For the weather, boy who shares two names with two friends,
Boy I thought I lost.

You were not far enough in life to pass,
Thrown through a shield of glass, after hitting
The house, after hitting the car, after hitting the
Utility pole, after an attempt to pass two cars
Who would have had you stop your whirling momentum.
Tonight, the happiest songs I know are playing on the radio,
And I do not know

Where I stand in the world,

Or if I can stand it,

Or if I should keep standing

Instead of lying down and calling it a night.