In Memory of the Taxi Driver
Who Delivered Me to Denver International on Time
by Carolyn Martin
See that herd? she asks and throws a thumb at horses
grazing off Route 70. They’re mine, she sighs
and never slows. We’re racing toward the terminal
and I am stressed from traffic, rain, and sleepless nights.
Without a thought, I ask what’s with the knitted hat
pulled tight above her bagging eyes. I know
what it must mean and yet I’m thrown when she concedes
she’s holding on until the colt arrives.
In retrospect—after years away from hotel rooms,
designer suits, and speeches to the business world--
I wish we’d stopped the cab that afternoon.
I wish I’d fed her mare a few consoling words.
From associate professor of English to management trainer to retiree, Carolyn Martin is a lover of gardening and snorkeling, writing and photography. Her fourth poetry collection, A Penchant for Masquerades, was released by Unsolicited Press in 2019. She is currently the poetry editor of Kosmos Quarterly: journal for global transformation. Find out more about Carolyn at www.carolynmartinpoet.com. “In Memory of the Taxi Driver Who Delivered Me to Denver International on Time” was originally published in the Naugatuck River Review.
Who Delivered Me to Denver International on Time
by Carolyn Martin
See that herd? she asks and throws a thumb at horses
grazing off Route 70. They’re mine, she sighs
and never slows. We’re racing toward the terminal
and I am stressed from traffic, rain, and sleepless nights.
Without a thought, I ask what’s with the knitted hat
pulled tight above her bagging eyes. I know
what it must mean and yet I’m thrown when she concedes
she’s holding on until the colt arrives.
In retrospect—after years away from hotel rooms,
designer suits, and speeches to the business world--
I wish we’d stopped the cab that afternoon.
I wish I’d fed her mare a few consoling words.
From associate professor of English to management trainer to retiree, Carolyn Martin is a lover of gardening and snorkeling, writing and photography. Her fourth poetry collection, A Penchant for Masquerades, was released by Unsolicited Press in 2019. She is currently the poetry editor of Kosmos Quarterly: journal for global transformation. Find out more about Carolyn at www.carolynmartinpoet.com. “In Memory of the Taxi Driver Who Delivered Me to Denver International on Time” was originally published in the Naugatuck River Review.