The Road

Raymond Carver died on this day in 1988 at the age of 50.

The Road by Raymond Carver

What a rough night! It’s either no dreams at all,

or else a dream that may or may not be

a dream portending loss. Last night I was dropped off

without a word on a  country road.

A house back in the hills showed a light

no bigger than a star.

But I was afraid to go there, and kept walking.

Then to wake up to rain striking the glass.

Flowers in a vase near the window.

The smell of coffee, and you touching your hair

with a gesture like someone who has been gone for years.

But there’s a piece of bread under the table

near your feet. And a line of ants

moving back and forth from a crack in the floor.

You’ve stopped smiling.

Do me a favor this morning. Draw the curtain and come back to bed.

Forget the coffee. We’ll pretend

we’re in a foreign country. And in love.