Night Driving

The road curls away behind us--
Ahead the markers glisten and wink
To show us the middle of the road.
We are alone, no other cars anywhere nearby.
Sometimes open fields, sometimes walls of trees
Are our companions on this flight.
The creamy smiling moon leads,
Then follows us all the way

We are driving at 2 am,
Driving to outrun the heavy humid air
To avoid the oppressive heat of the day
That lasts into the night

We reach the plateau out from town
And find it drier and cooler
A welcome surprise from the city.
We stand under the stars
And feel the breeze dance around us--
So many days without this comfort!

What must it be like to live out here?
One could even leave the windows open at night
The sweet night air gently fluttering the curtains...

Back on the road, back down the valley
Back into the hazy light-polluted atmosphere.
More cars, more traffic lights, more heat.
Home again...and yet...
I swear I feel the distant cousin of
That country breeze whisper past me
On the black asphalt of the parking lot.

A remembrance of our brief escape
And a promise of better days to come.


 

--fleur    25.vii.05

~ Email ~