Thursday, May 22, 2008

driving day


Speed.
Mama said there'd be days like this, there'd be days like this Mama said. 
Today was one of them. Departing a small place outside Bismark in Mandan, North Dakota, we opted for the road less traveled - highway 6 out of Bismark to Custer National Forest through Sioux territory. Reminded me of New Mexico mesas with a different blanket over the top. Furry and soft. 

Then it started raining and the temperature dropped fourteen degrees in three hours. 
Our plan is to camp. We stocked up on groceries today: broccoli, tomatoes, pasta, bread mayonaise (for our leftover white roasted chicken meat - I have no idea how people can eat white meat with no mayo), and some chips and salsa. Leila has camp cooking down.

corrugated blue under belly of the sky
crosses grains of
ribbon candy roads
Uncle Dick's hair for fields
silky fine wheat white grasses 
sweep green velvet torsos 
rolling between black stripes of dirt.

Metaphors are about scale.
Taking what for what.

We're ahead of spring on this trip.
Might be time we consider chasing the sun. 

Things get monumental fast on this highway. 
A cow gate interrupts infinite fields
and becomes a church.  
I thought I could see the curvature of the earth this afternoon.
 



1 comment:

Aroldo said...

My DSM:

I depend upon you for so many things and one of them is lyrics. Regarding your wonderful poem that began with "Mama said there'd be days like this there'll be days like this MY mama said." Am I correct that the word MY should be inserted?

In any event I love every drop of your blog but the poem was primo.

My love,

stepfather