We used to drive across the prairies.
Chasing radio stations from point to point.
Towns along the railway alphabetical names.
The click of the cassettes or 8-tracks songs play.
The road was more than from point A to point B.
Maps marked, folded and creased, wrinkled deep.
Or crisp and new – unmarked and untravelled – yet!
Snacks in an old shoe box. Thermos of coffee or juice.
You waved at everyone you saw. You smiled too. Journey.
Stopping to help someone in need. Sharing stories, tires change.
Flashing to let someone know they are safe to merge in after a pass.
Trailers and trucks, cars and not so many vans. Thrill of a sports car.
Indian reservations. Resorts temptingly pass by. Fairgrounds to walk horses.
Tall gas station signs along the flat highways. Mountain passes – runaway lanes!
Rain, sun, snow, ice – the highway went on and on. The tires beat the rhythm of the road.
Being a good traveller – pee in the ditch. Drink sun warmed water. Sleep against the window.
Sunshine fading behind hills and headlights coming on. The way sparkled like diamonds alight.
Highways and backroads. Beloved, and horrifying, ‘short cuts’. The way less travelled sometimes.
Familiar landmarks to lead us home. Dancing in the unknown as we go out again. Generations on the road.
A million miles in a truck (or more) and I still love the open road. We all three do. The best thing – to go! Go!
We did a semi-epic but not surprising ‘surprise’ trip to see family for Easter. 16 hour drive that put us in three provinces in a day. Tired but happy to see their ‘surprised’ faces. Packing things better for the trip home. Dogs and boy, husband and wife. Snacks and treats. Old stories and new jokes. Dreams and memories of past drives. How things have changed (seatbelts, smoking and the safety of hitchikers!) Truckers will still sometimes flash a ‘thank you’ when you blink to let them know they are far enough past to merge, sometimes other drivers wave or smile. Sometimes we visit with strangers at truckstops. Smiling because at 1 am there are no strangers at the gas pumps! Just tired drivers finding their way.
If you are here via dVerse, thanks for coming by. I’m tending bar tonight for Poetics. If you came from another place, please stop by dVerse and meet my brother and sister poets, read their words and enjoy their journey. Share your own. And leave love. Always leave love.
Sunflower Poetry 