A Poet Drives a Truck By Lowell a Levant

A Poet Drives a Truck Transmit and reflect light with a steady glow. Inspect the equipment routinely and thoroughly. Explore alternate routes when feasible. Let the eyes range over the land, the sky, the near, the distant road, and the mysterious peripheries. Transcend rage and panic with humor and consideration. Tell the truth especially when a brilliant lie seems more appropriate. Look flowers in the eyes. Frisk about like a dog unbound. Sniff the night perfume of trees. Listen to the songs of birds. Let them take wing in the breath and soar forth to the moon. Editors’ Note. This poem, from which this volume takes its name, was published circa 1999 in a newsletter published by Lowell’s employer at the time, titled “Still Manifesting.”