In the Distance

We speak so
seldom now—
phone shy
since childhood 

and the miles
between us
seem to multiply
with the years.

Remember
when
each new
day

greeted us
like
a garden gate
opening?

When did
the highway
become a gravel
path?

Last night,
I thought
of that day
we had to hide

your father’s
car keys.
His daily descent
into dementia.

I take the top
down
on the old
Triumph Spitfire,

kick the
tires for luck,
and head your way
on the open road.

Steve Deutsch has been widely published both online and in print. Steve is a three-time Pushcart Prize nominee. He is poetry editor for Centered Magazine. His poetry books–Perhaps You Can (2019), Persistence of Memory (2020), and Going, Going, Gone (2021)– were all published by Kelsay Press.