one last lunch break stop
at the last Pony Express
history to chew
five thousand miles
sixteen states, three Great Lakes,
one foreign province
home to our daddy
waiting with open arms, love
and Denver’s sunshine
marriage
Day Twenty-Three, Road Trip 2015
fit in a beach lunch
before Midwest rain torrents
that opened to blue
no fast food today
peanut butter for swim time
best mom bargain yet
ten more car hours
we’ll sleep at home tomorrow
in our no-lake state
but we’ll have daddy
better than any beach day
Iowa, Maine… home
Day Nineteen, Road Trip 2015
chilled out lake beach day
Denver’s blue skies followed us
a day to ourselves
camp cookouts, sailboats
gentle hum of mini waves
not a soul in sight
only one thing gone:
his arms, his love around us
(at home he awaits)
peace comes in sparkles
small sun rays dipped in forests
shining through the dark
Day Seventeen, Road Trip 2015
met in a drugstore
seventy years of marriage
through three kids, three wars
still earth’s travelers
color-coded pins mark map
slept, lived, camped, drove, flew
she swims every day
he mows the yard and pulls weeds
they tease each other
best of all? they grin
take tragedy, joy in turns
till death do them part
(this is why i drive
take my kids along the road
live long by travel)
Day Fifteen, Road Trip 2015
focus on beach time
not the lost stakes, the thunder,
the flat tire hell
not the life critique,
lack of lobster, the car bed
(just the grinning sand)
Day Eleven, Road Trip 2015
the truth spills from mouth
already opened by beer
on a Vermont night
they’ve always wondered
and now they know: love is love
in these small moments
scattered across states
childhood relived, by heart
found in their voices
this is my road trip:
empty chairs, two thousand miles
joy in every game
but life’s a gamble–
Disney or Vermont? choice? please?
i’ll take the shortcut
driving worldwide
to find a cloudless blue sky
to guide my way home
Day Ten, Road Trip 2015
drive starts with best store
candy store within the store
(we all need fill ups)
green mountain state calls
with back roads and endless views
we make our way home:
where we stand in rain
and talk like it’s been three days
(never mind three years)
while the kids recite
the spinning songs of preschool
that spun us this time
reunion’s beauty
claws at my throat, my heart.
rain can’t renew it
this trip from my dreams:
three years, three thousand miles–
six hearts in one
Day Eight, Road Trip 2015
hanging out at home
girls play, sleep, we do yoga
easy transition
tomorrow? the drive
hubby’s new job starts at home
(i’ll make my way home)
upstate New York home
in the arms of my best friend
childhood relived
driving my mind home
we leave Kentucky for now
(could have been home)
the road takes us home
on all our travels, faces
where we find our hearts
Day Seven, Road Trip 2015
walk across downtown
with my urban planning mom
walking rating: zilch
veggies are heavy
when carrying Kentucky
weight on both shoulders
redemptive moment
on green lake with blue kayaks
(words he’ll never read)
a campfire end
to a summer daydream trip
(only innocence)
full circle i’ve turned
since five years back, her birth year
(my first niece. cousins)
but he won’t see that.
only weakness bearing down
on our bright union
love like this? just once.
with dark swings on late porches
he can’t even touch
but for her bright eyes
the firelit sunset eve
forgiveness follows.
Day Four, Road Trip 2015
a secret rope swing
hidden behind leafy steps
splash into heaven
picture with Pappy
grandchildren nearly grown up
only photos last
the force of magic
light from cousin to cousin
summer bright as night
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