But we prefer the freeway
its endless billboards of promise
its white lines we hoard
to build our picket lives—
a testament to progress.
Freedom is in the foot that accelerates,
in passing on the left or right,
advancing on the might of our engines.
We deride the student driver
who looks back, uses her mirrors
to revisit tea parties in tree houses,
or quiet Sundays on a porch swing.
She’ll learn soon enough
that it’s all speed and spoilers.
There’s no shoulder to cry on,
only the next bend
and the one after that
until we’re all genuflecting
to geography—as if it’s the going
that gets us somewhere.
Copyright © 2019 by AJ Saur, from Odds n’ Ends (Murmuration Press)
Loved this Andy! You are very gifted!
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Thanks Vickie for being such a faithful reader.
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Wonderful. Thank you for sharing this.
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Thanks Jaimee! I hope you’re well in your neck of the woods.
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Beautiful words my friend! Thank you for sharing your gift.
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Thanks Stephen for all your support. You and Annie are the real gift!
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