drive, he sd

I Know a Man

As I sd to my
Friend, because I am
Always talking,--John, I

Sd, which was not his
Name, the darkness sur-
Rounds us, what

Can we do against
It, or else, shall we &
Why not, buy a goddamn big car,

Drive, he sd, for
Christ’s sake, look
Out where yr going.

--Robert Creeley 1926-2005

Whenever I chanced in print on the phrase “Drive, he said”, I’d clip it, and include it in my next letter to Bob Creeley. Someone wrote a novel in the '60s called, Drive, He Said, quoting Bob’s poem. Then Jack Nicholson recited the poem in the film of the novel. Nobody paid Bob anything for the phrase or for the poem. In my inbox, there is now a recent headline clipt from the auto section of The Times: “Drive, He Said.” I suppose I’ll forward it to his widow, Penelope Creeley.