OKLAHOMA CITY
Three days later the highway is still slipping along beneath me,
I feel the wheels smoothing out gravel and concrete,
My ears inform of normal and trouble,
They are my sentries as are my nose and taste buds.
Driving is my passion and my escape and my entry
To, from, with life and social events,
All of my dearest friends are along the road,
Learning of my approach into their existence.
Rarely do I listen to music or plug my ears with buds
So that I am removed from the vibrations, tones, oneness
Of the vehicle. Only the gps takes my attention away
From the mechanical involvement with machine.
We arrive in Oklahoma City and, Lo!
There is a Red Cup Coffee House serving Vegan fare!
I joke with the barista and enjoy the existence of this place,
I am served scramble tofu eggs and potatoes and vegan toast.
Sam eats heartily and I am happy for him,
This road trip is so filled with meaning, metaphor,
We love and relish and enjoy, joke and josh,
Boy and dad at last going along in the face of danger.
From Santa Fe to Oklahoma City,
To rest stops for sleep and tooth brushes,
To moving over for other travelers and those
Who are stopped on the highway of struggle.
This trip from Santa Fe to Oklahoma City,
Through Amarillo and on to Saint Louie,
Across the big muddy into corn fields under snow and ice,
Pushing the vehicles across the central states toward Maine.
Santa Fe to Amarillo on to Oklahoma City,
Tulsa and Joplin where I want to visit
The birthplace of George Washington Carver
And weep for his brother James.
Snatches of sleep and some rest in Rolla,
Dicing with the big boys in the night,
They resent us 4 wheelers all right,
We learn to avoid them and speed on.
There is no friendliness on the road,
Just drive and rest and grab food and stop to piss,
Then back in the warm seat with the gps,
And the road slipping underneath.
The road from Santa Fe to Saint Louie makes
A path to Indianapolis and Columbus to Akron,
Where the streets are wide still and the tires
Are Kings and there is a vegan spot to be human.
We eat dinner, relax, joke about some things
That make us happy and feel good,
Akron is a good stop, who knew it would?
Now on to tighter and narrower hills and curves.
Santa Fe to Akron to eastern Pennsylvania,
A good place to crash in a sixties sense,
Crawl into the back of the car, stretch out and pass out,
Stay in that little car until the dawn awakens.
This is the last leg and we know it,
We use Navy terms to describe out efforts,
“Going home turns” and “heading for the barn”,
That is what we are doing as we search the horizon.
Give us New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts,
Get out of our way as we hit a hundred per hour,
Now we can taste, smell, and feel the vibrations of
Home. Giddy Yap! Look out! E-Z Pass my ass.
Welcome to Maine, The way life should be!
Is this the end? I want to keep going!
I can’t end it here, I’m just getting started,
Sam and I are just getting into the groove.
Alas it is over,
My heart breaks,
I cannot rejoice,
I need to keep driving.
G. M. Goodwin
4 April 2015
Playing Fair and Being Kind 