Daybreak In Alabama
I wanted to write a poem
About daybreak in Alabama,
And sadness and poverty,
But then I remembered
I never woke up
In my overpacked car
In the parking lot
Of a dirty motel.
I yawn and stretch
And try to figure out where I am
And how far left I have to go,
But then settle back
Into the comfort of
A Serta Mattress.
I wanted to write a poem
About daybreak in Alabama.
-----------------
Alaska.
It is another super snowy day
In that big beautiful state.
I remember a hot summer
In Alaska
And the days I stood on
Washington
And Exit Glaciers
In shorts
And a tank top,
Another king of the world
Dreaming, always dreaming
Of another super snowy day
In that big beautiful state.
Alaska.
------------------
Arizona
Another sunny day on the highway
Out past Ajo, but aren’t they all?
I think of Jimmy and his dad
Who I always thought
Was an Arizona Viking,
Until the one chilly winter’s evening
When the virus got him too.
Now I pray for Jimmy
And his mom
When I pass through this land,
Squinting in the sun
And imagine
I will be in heaven here,
When no more winters come.
------------------
Arkansas.
In the land of Mapquests and printed directions instead of cellphone speak,
I spilled coffee in the middle of Arkansawyer directions.
The large brown stain and running ink made me guess and navigate by feelings.
Should I take this exit or the one further down the Interstate.
Stones flung from my wheels are little rocks.
Little Rock, a large coffee stain, and me.
Arkansas.
-------------------
California
I used to dream of living there,
Breathing her tired old air.
Cars, trucks, busses, 12 lanes wide.
Ambulances, police, fire, sirens, sirens, sirens….
Lights in the dark. Dark in the light.
I used to dream of living there.
Forever visions of paradise,
Overwhelmed by a rose-hued lens.
Red, the color of excitement
Needles my eyes as she sets.
I used to dream of living there,
Away in the safety of a country town.
I used to dream of living there,
Breathing her tired old air.
-----------------
COLORADO
Can you imagine those rocky mountains
Overlooking these beautiful green lands?
Little did I know my dreams would climb high;
Overlooking these beautiful green lands.
Riding in a window seat of a crowded 747;
Another day and another travel logged.
Denver and old Stapleton come into view,
Overlooking these beautiful green lands.
-------------------
Connecticut
Sometimes my mind
Takes a trip home to Connecticut.
Though I have never lived there
My family memories and blood
Stain that land,
From Greenwich to Union
Every square inch,
Every highway mile
Call out to me.
Where is your DNA?
Comments