Might Have Been
Today I almost hitch-hiked all the way to Arizona.
I saw a truck go by, wearing, like a banner, the Arizona Freight Lines name
and I could almost see the golden grains of sand that clung,
sun-hot and sticky
to its sides.
I knew if I had gone I would have felt those same hot grains against my skin
as I made castles in the sun-scorched sand
and rolled, and rolled and rolled from top to bottom of a dune
without a stop to brush my dress or tidy up my hair.
I couldn't go today because the cat went to the vet to get his stitches out,
but it was almost glorious.
One day, about a week ago, I nearly went to Rapa Nui,
stowed away aboard a boat.
I saw it through the window of the bus and knew it was no ordinary ship.
If I had gone, I might have found the secrets of the red stone hats
and stood before those silent idols, basking in the power of their praise.
I could have stayed and listened to the whispers of the wind,
watched the secret semaphore of feathers, floating on the tide
and let the hot-sun smell of summer grass
begin to warm my cold and rain-numbed soul.
But first, I have to cut the grass
and trim the scraggly edges of the hedge.
There are so many splendid places I have almost been.
Copyright © Florida Town | Year Posted 2017
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