we strike the trail late
met by an abundant blue
(clouds can keep secrets)
lunch is disrupted
by stream-crossing detours
(till we see our fault)
then comes rain and pain
realizing we were tricked
(the trail is longer)
camp set up quickly
dinner wolfed, shoes soaked by grass
(thunder moving in)
hours in the tent
thinking, how could it, why now?
(tests of our marriage)
but the bag is warm
and we have love and shelter
(all a marriage needs)
celebrating us
with a long walk in the woods
(away from it all)
silence is golden
when resting feet at sunset
(your birthday present)
the breeze reminds me:
i drove twenty-one hours
to find this beauty
better than the beach:
that grin on your face; these views;
hard-earned sore muscles
thank you for crazy–
(the long drive, the longer walk,
another “us” year)
End of the road, by the numbers:
Four girls, 6059 miles, 19 states, the nation’s capital, 7 state parks, 7 national monuments, 9 nights of camping, 2 hotels, 1 apartment, 1 beach house, 29 days… We are HOME!! Life is an adventure. Be your own driver!!
waffles fuel our view
to ride into the sunset
finding our way home
road trip starts to end
with wide open river views,
bridges to cross them
Kentucky burns bright
holds together rebel groups
and holds our heart tight
Kentucky wins me
with giant bookstores; ice cream;
and sweet niece faces
each night a red sun
to lull us to country sleep
on our road trip dream
cousin love beats all:
it spans a small continent
and breaks the divide
three-storied row homes,
a riverfront fountain park,
DC’s a winner
a cultural mix
in language, architecture
(our country’s center)
library of all
holds too many gems to count
a sight for sore eyes
best of both worlds:
fusbol, patatas bravas
right here in DC
best of all worlds:
my family together, here,
discovering this.
in the man’s big house
they built him a three-room suite;
his children lived here:
remnants of slave life:
hard-hitting and far-reaching
(Black Lives Matter. Now?)
they dug up red clay
to lay every brick … by brick,
by breaking their backs
his famous status:
founder of freedom, writer
(declared our country)
brick by brick by brick
he laid his lies and kept his slaves
and wrote our future
and we swallow it
and throw coins at his gravestone
and try to forgive
they all shared this view–
from the big house; the slave house;
the land formed by God
and so we move on,
brick by brick by road by road
to see its beauty
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