Linda took the high side
on a country horseshoe curve.

She always took the high side,
even in the straight stretches

I remember
"Sweet Corn"
when she was young
and wild and pretty.

Young and pretty faded
when she was twenty four

From twenty four
to forty four
only the wild
was apparent

To see the rest,
you either had to look deep
or be able to remember.

I remember
"Sweet Corn"
before the scars
upon her lips.

before her teeth
were knocked out
from running into love

before she gave up on love

before she started
making old men feel young
and living off of their
Social Security checks.

She was nineteen
when she sat in the passenger seat
of my old ' 63 Galaxie

The hot July sun
reflected off of
her blond hair
and blinded me

I had to stop

We had to go

I am still a fool
over a peasant blouse

It was a different high side
on a different back road horseshoe
that sent us into the cornfield that night

By early morning,
the beer and wine were gone.

By sun up,
the stems were ashes

By noon,
we had been
to the store
and back.

Come sun up,
we walked to the store again

and back

It took us three days
to get out of that corn field.

Just a field
of feed corn.

but

I remember
"Sweet Corn"
when she was young
and wild and pretty

***