my baby's driving
(i can't believe she's fifteen)
and finding her way


my baby's driving
(i can't believe she's fifteen)
and finding her way
with a perfect score
my youngest surprises me
(she’s ready to drive)
before the long drive,
enjoy the perfect park. shop.
soak up cousin time.
eat your sister’s meal
till the next time you see her.
too long (just too long).
your daughters will drive.
together, we can make it.
we will rule the night.
it’s all we can rule
with the oldest off to school
we can rule the night.
a windy beach day
followed by farmers’ market
for tonight’s dinner
this “bike path” presents:
sea-level cycling; beach
(rode on Rhode Island)
there’s seafood here, too.
and family filled with smiles
and gardening goals
three states, three hours,
a short capital lunch break
before breaking waves
words cannot describe
how much these hills feel like home
(what was once my home)
an empty highway,
a rural life, cloudy skies
and. oh yes. this lake.
you can’t picture it.
so let me draw you a map.
my Finger Lakes love.
yes, it’s just a store.
you can only imagine
what a store could be.
Colorado born
yet half my childhood is
upstate New York bred
can you taste the plums?
fresh from the roadside farm stand
just pop them in. wait.
you’ll be here with me.
choosing the best ears of corn.
loving, loving life.
packed up and ready
with the bikes fully secured
for our summer trip
a packed-up cooler
electric, adaptable:
symbol of planning
itinerary
revised, rewritten, reread,
printed for Plan Z
(there is no Plan Z)
there is just the dream, the trip
on these four tires
Berthoud Pass driving
sisters learn two years apart
same day, different face
sunrise to sunset
with a step in history
to bring us back home