thirty

The Sacred

After the teacher asked if anyone had

a sacred place

and the students fidgeted and shrank

in their chairs, the most serious of them all

said it was his car,

being all alone, his tape deck playing

things he'd chosen, and others knew the truth

had been spoken

and began speaking about their rooms,

their hiding places, but the car kept coming up,

the car in motion,

music filling it, and sometimes one other person

who understood the bright alter of the dashboard

and how far away

a car could take him from the need

to speak, or to answer, the key

in having a key

and putting it in and going.

by Stephen Dunn