THE GREAT ADVENTURE

The woman hailing a taxi in the rain
who is almost crushed by another taxi
and next by a third taxi
and then at last when she almost flags down a taxi
she is nearly run over again—
I think about this stranger often and feel something like
uncorrupted love for her
and I think about how
the next taxi drenching her and nearly running over her foot veered
and I thought then: that is the way to live,
to be like the last taxi driver
knowing that this woman’s going to get your taxi wet
but stopping anyway
and yes she’s in the back seat puddling away
and she is laughing
and I thought that is the way to live—
to keep trying to catch what speeds past
despite even the street lifting up to insult you
and aren’t you like all those taxis, the way
your heart keeps skidding around?
And let there be someone waiting
anxious to see the taxi driver and
the woman riding,
someone who says convincingly: It’s all right, all of it,
we’re all going to get somewhere.