Thank you for the ride
on his godmother\'s lap
on that shiny merry-go-round
Ohio State Fair
and when he was 10
and the Bakers took him
and their son Billy
his best friend
to summer camp
in upstate New York
and thank you for the ride again
when his older brother Pete
took him on his motor bike
(age 14)
and he really had a laugh
when Peggy said it
his girl friend
after their first time
and he said it many times
on his way to California
one could still hitchhike
in 1975.
It was thank you for the ride again
when his contractor
let him ride shotgun
in that 18-wheeler
when the beams were hauled over
for their new home.
And when Annie had their first baby
he said it to his friend Jim
who picked him up at the hospital.
(He was too shaky after the long night
and had a blurred vision
with all those happy tears.)
15 years later
- it seemed a very short time to him -
he said it
to the man from the funeral parlour
and he didn\'t even know
that he\'d said it.
A single father now
he soon said it
to his son
who had gotten his license
and wanted to show
that he could drive.
He had him
take the three of them to McDonalds.
Two years later
thank you for the ride
to his not so little daughter anymore.
When his hair turned grey
and the kids in Oberlin and Smith
he caught himself
saying it a lot more often
to nobody in particular
until one day
he had two teenage grandchildren by then
he said it one last time
barely audible.