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She stared at the sky in the seat beside
him as they lapped the miles on cruise,
then woke from her fugue at a stop sign
in Bliss to see just where they were
and how much gas was left, to turn
from the blue and give him a kiss.
Back from their drive, he dropped her off
at Spruce and Vine, then watched her fly
into the night on the hidden broom
beneath her dress and disappear
into the light of the gibbous moon.
Earthly fool, lost chauffeur,
he searched for her down every road
for the rest of his life. Felt her cool
chthonic lips on his in the dark
of every cruel, spectacular evening.
Chard deNiord is the poet laureate of Vermont and author of six books of poetry, most recently Interstate, (The University of Pittsburgh Press, 2015) and The Double Truth (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2011). His book of essays and interviews with seven senior American poets (Galway Kinnell, Donald Hall. Maxine Kumin, Jack Gilbert, Ruth Stone, Lucille Clifton, Robert Bly) titled Sad Friends, Drowned Lovers, Stapled Songs, Conversations and Reflections on 20th Century American Poets was published by Marick Press in 2011. He is a Professor of English and Creative Writing at Providence College and a trustee of the Ruth Stone Trust. He lives in Westminster West, Vermont with his wife Liz.