Friday, October 4, 2013

The Front Seat

I recently heard Garrison Keillor on  NPR, reading from his book of poetry, O, What A Luxury: Verses Lyrical, Vulgar, Pathetic and Profound.  Like a lot of his work, the poetry he's written seems tailor made for the unpinnable "everyman", as it's simple, straightforward, and even rhymes.  And yet, within the simplicity of the work there is often something lovely to ponder on. 

Here's the poem that stuck with me, and made me feel nostalgic and slightly giddy:


"The Front Seat"
I fell in love in the front seat of a '56 Ford
At a drive-in movie, sliding over toward
A girl in shorts and necking a little
on a bench seat, no gearshift in the middle.
She was young and eager — it didn't take much
To slip her in gear and let out the clutch
But the beautiful bench where we performed our feats
Has been replaced by two bucket seats
And a brake lever, gearshift, and armrest
Between me and the girl I love best,
Which is sensible and safer, perhaps,
Two people restrained by safety straps,
But if safety were all that people thought of
Then who would ever fall in love?

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