Road Trip 2021, Day Three (Canandaigua Love)

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.

Road Trip 2021, Day Two

our youngest driver
plowing through rain, construction
toward the great Erie

our road trips have changed 
as the girls become adults
yet, they’re still the same

local food, great views,
the ever-changing weather, 
seeing every state

a mostly-packed car
drives us all to Iowa
(mostly all, that is)

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

pushed to her limit,
she managed to meet her peak,
find her inner strength

pretty much my life:
trying to find a safe place;
(need help with the door)

with one vacant lot
the clear divide of wealth
(urban devilry)

art in real life:
like a dream reimagined 
for my artist girls

can you feel petals
(a digital fantasy)
falling on your face?

summer camp is done.
art, yoga, cycling, love.
and home stretch? cooking.

these so-rare smiles
pouring milk for tortillas 
like happy siblings

did you say siblings?
how about our matching twins
with perfect spring rolls?

don’t forget sushi 
made with Chinese expertise
to brighten their eyes

and fufu for all
stirred by girls from two cultures
finding friends at home

these mandazi men
so proud of their puffed product
all the way from home

taco influence
on the next generation 
sharing her home’s heart

this sweet quesillo
comes from home with a sweet tale
(we’ve hit a home run)

defeat plagues today
even with this sweet mural
sometimes losses win