Gary Kuhlmann

The Way I Remember

Do you still hit the night with your head
thrown back and some song
blaring from an old car
radio and stare deep
from behind plastic sunglasses past sleeping houses
Or smile smelling the river air
Or lift your face to the rust
of early deaths falling through the maples
And let the wind swim
through your mind
like a summer of dreams
Maybe stop
at some unrecognizable place where you remember
someone or some last kiss
Tell me you do
Please tell me the one who breathed life
into me is still alive

Gary Kuhlmann lives, writes, and dreams in Iowa City with his wife and two children. A 1978 graduate of the University of Iowa in Journalism and English, he has worked as a corn detasseler, wedding photographer, newspaper carrier, and commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force. He's now an editorial assistant for a University of Iowa publication.