Poem of the Week, by Stephen Dunn

The Sacred

- Stephen Dunn



After the teacher asked if anyone had

a sacred place

and the students fidgeted and shrank



in their chairs, the most serious of them all

said it was his car,

being in it alone, his tape deck playing



things he’d chosen, and others knew the truth

had been spoken

and began speaking about their rooms,



their hiding places, but the car kept coming up,

the car in motion,

music filling it, and sometimes one other person



who understood the bright altar of the dashboard

and how far away

a car could take him from the need



to speak, or to answer, the key

in having a key

and putting it in, and going.



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For more information on Stephen Dunn, please click here: http://www.stephendunnpoet.com/

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