The dryer hums,
and my clothes are drying.
It rained earlier, but now
the sun is peering through clouds.
As I awaken, the morning is still.
I sit at a table in the front room
and it creaks.
When sifting through my poetic lines
I remember that each day
begins with a whisper.
I remember that around each turn
in the highway lies a surprise.
My thoughts turn to my days as a flagger
as if it is a previous life.
I remember
when there was one lane road
I turned my sign to control
the flow of traffic.
Some people I stopped
waved and smiled,
but in time I learned how
to let them go.
Each evening after work
I’d write a poem
and the librarian at the front desk
was a confidant, a friend.
They’d always offer praise
of how I could make a page come alive
while my fingers danced over the keys.
But now the quiet side street
in front of the house is broken.
I’ve called Public Works
but some things never change.
Now I’m back home
and learning to live again.
As a bird flies past my window
I think I’ll heat some leftovers
and go for a drive.
My partner called out cars she sent
as we stood at opposite ends
of the work zone, and when
hers had passed, I called out mine
sending them along a narrow passage.
We found a common language
to communicate, and we made
small talk when things were slow.
The construction crew struggled
to settle each fresh coat of asphalt
over a moist bed of clay
of a two-lane in northeast Nebraska
arcing and curving over hills and valleys
between two unincorporated areas.
Black angus cows grazed
on a grassy hill, coincidental beauty found
in another time and place,
and a bull bellowed
to declare the spread his own.
After work my partner and I stood
outside our rooms at the hotel.
She talked about her husband
and I talked about a librarian
who read my poems.
While we spoke about our
lives back home, a light in the lot
shone a distant star.
The sign you hold:
a) says either stop or slow
b) is a matter of perception
c) makes for moments of conversation
d) is a pause in time
When one lane is closed:
a) cars must stop and wait for others
b) another lane is open
c) each of us must live another life
d) time stands still
The pilot vehicle:
a) will take off on Runway #1
b) is painted in psychedelic colors
c) leads cars through the work zone
d) will take you to the stars
When an emergency vehicle approaches:
a) the old man down the road must be sick
b) close your eyes and hope for the best
c) realize everything works out in the end
d) hold traffic so it can pass
A change of weather:
a) observe the clouds as they sing and dance
b) soon it will rain
c) work pauses
d) lightning never strikes twice
e) all of the above
At the end of day:
a) skies are painted
b) all lanes are re-opened
c) the sun falls over the edge of the earth
d) someone will cry
February 7, 2023