Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Night Journey


The burn
In stomach’s pit
Of shortened sleep
Rising to darkness
Setting wheels
On pavement
Adventuring
In to the
Night

Dashboard glow,
Rough friction
Of rubber on asphalt, and
Disembodied
Radio voices
Are the company
Kept
On a dark
Night

Destination awaits
Ahead, calling out
God speed, be careful
Be smart
Be safe
In the cloaking
Blackness, of the
Cool summer
Night


Ken Goree


Ever since I was a kid, I’ve love a roadtrip, but none so much as a roadtrip that begins in the deepest part of the night.  An ordinary trip to Grandma’s house turns into a mysterious adventure.  Trees looming out of the darkness, or on really special occasions, looming from the misty darkness and take on some dangerous malicious intent.  Ghostly green faces that would like have seemed commonplace during the light of day, take on the strange light and shadow common among movie ghouls and zombies. 
My own children used to know the excitement of a 3am start to a roadtrip, but as they dig deeper into their teens they seem to be losing the knowledge of that magic.  I wonder, did I temporarily lose it when I was a teen?  I hope so, so that they have a chance to regain that imagination when they make it into their adult years.

2 comments:

  1. For a minute I thought this was going to be a poem about a late night run to the convenience store for a heart burn remedy. While that would have been hilarious, this poem was much cooler!! I get that misty fog in the field outside my bedroom window and it is so cool! (Dano)

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  2. Thanks, Dano. I'm glad you liked it.

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