Wisps of clouds hang in the valley
Early morning dampness coats the air
As the morning sun dances in the trees
Barely above the skyline, greeting the day
Soothing rumble of an engine across the road
As the rider weaves among the curves, the
Land of rivers and Ozark Mountains
Shows its natural state of beauty
knows the moon
is on the other side
Night doesn't offer
a flashlight,
or a map
God is on your side,
my soft-footed love
I am a lost pilgrim
hunting blind
amidst blackberry bushes
that don't want me there
One sure foot before
the other
across an ink-hearted night
Mighty small one:
that I had your direction
that I shared
your intrepid focus
Great dreams settle
in small ponds
I hope that God is smiling
Every existing thing has wings for its fall,
But I have none—not even a wing to plummet with.
With nothing but this bare body of mine,
I crashed down into that dark puddle,
Yet somehow, I forced my broken self to rise and stand.
This time, however, I fell upon the rushing highway.
The invisible voices screaming, Beep! Beep!
And that ominous something of the dark, where even the moonlight denied me.
Twice, I was struck by that thunderous bolt in my mind...
And the rain begins to fall.
And so, I have become a pool of water gathered by the roadside,
Shouting out for the sake of their passing tire tracks.
"Drive on with all your might,
But please, do not speed!
It is me, the water, lying here."
Water is majestic.
Water is the grand, eternal element of nature, spanning thousands of years.
Yet today, once again, upon the windshields of their cars,
They ruthlessly wipe my water away with the wipers.
Men away from home
tear away asphalt
like thick skin
and replace.
Work proceeds
sunrise to sunset.
They bear the heat
of a summer day.
Their bodies ache
but they move on.
The rumble of land
disturbed stirs grackles
from field. They take
to the sky seeking freedom.
The workers inch up a hill
as traffic crawls by
in the open lane.
The workers remember
their wives and children
back home and long
to steal a few moments
during the weekend
and see them again.
They lingered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the asphalt hums, a black tongue hymn—
each mile chewed, spat behind.
dust curls like thrown confetti
where the land exhales its heat.
no destination, only the chase:
sky stitching itself to earth
with invisible thread.
the radio dies mid-sentence.
you press the gas~
the horizon flinches.
Linking each highway
Are secret curves, seeking signs
Stop, yield, star crossing
We sing and shout and chase that "Gold"
We make claims that "All" are Brothers
But "Temples" aren't just bought or sold
They're paid with the "Blood" of others
We dance the "Dance," then change our stance
While traveling down the "Bi-Way"
For those we "Bleed," no second glance
Down the "Hallelujah Highway!"
All my life, I've bled my mind
It's painful and it's tolling
Cuz all those dreams I left behind
Is why my head keeps rolling
Chorus:
There's no free rides, they say
No free rides will be coming your way
No free rides today
You know you still have to pay...down this Haunted Highway
I found no reasons in this life
No reasons to be lonely
But heartbreak seasons, they cut like knives
So, no seasons for me only
Chorus:
Boy, there's no free rides, they say
No free rides, I tell you, no way
No free rides today
No matter come what may...down this Haunted Highway
All my life, I've fed the lie
That I could have love my way
Still my head keeps wondering why
Rolling down this endless highway
Chorus:
There'll be no free rides, they say
Pack it up and go your own way
No free rides today
You know we all have to pay...down this Haunted Highway
highway drive:
high hills and headlands,
headlights on,
hard shoulders,
is this the highway to hell?
or heaven's highroad?
There's no speed limit, we have no breaks
Treacherous conditions, living high stakes
When will we crash? Step on the gas
Spun on the ice, hydroplane
Just how long until impact
When can I get off this ride?
Midnight rides—his pulse aligns with the thunder beneath him
fingers tracing her curves polishing fire into steel.
Wind against his skin she sings beneath him once more
Saturday mornings spent bathing her shine in devotion
One last glance—wait for me—before stepping inside
his grip firm not on the world but the rhythm of her frame.
The highway fades yet she alone knows the way home
rain or shine she waits unwavering at his door
Twilight drapes them in gold two shadows stretching as one
beautiful chrome heart racing—her name dissolving into the wind.
Time for me to give the best man's toast
It's the moment that I've dreaded most
What can I say Mister
You married your Sister
I've had her and that's nothing to boast
In fact, last time we were together
We did it with whips, chains, and leather
But bondage made her mean
So I broke it off clean
Now little Bro, you can have Heather
driving through the wilds
roads carved through granite and spruce
dusk is approaching...
full concentration needed
"Be on the lookout for moose!"
A cat dashed the expanse of a new highway
with speed without a pause,
struck down by a speeding coach
smashed and flattened his form crushed .
Vehicles rolling,one after another
over the corpse his remains began to leave,
erased all traces of his life,
dissolved like a forgotten dream.
No one knows the coyote that bleeds in me.
No one knows my heart is an open road
No one knows the sound I softly whine
But I do. I do.
I will wake today and carry my body
I will wake today and carry my bones
I will tread until I reach the highway
Coyote,
Bleed
Bleed
Bleed.
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