Down South								


There is a saying down here 
I never heard of elsewhere:
Can I carry you to the dance? 
Can I carry you to the doctor's?

It doesn't mean can I wrap 
my arms around your body,
lift you up and tote you there. 
It doesn't mean 

I'm keeping you like a secret, 
nor does it mean I'm infected with you
like a tick with Lyme disease, 
nor am I a voice echoing across the room. 

It means may I convey you in my wagon,
in my automobile, in my two-ton 
Ford pickup, any vehicle, whether 
dirigible, dirt bike, dogsled or dune buggy.

	(First published in Veils - 2020)