DIRECTIONS
by Connie Wanek
First you'll come to the end of the freeway.
Then it's not so much north on Woodland Avenue
as it is a feeling that the pines are taller and weigh more,
and the road, you'll notice,
is older with faded lines and unmown shoulders.
You'll see a cemetery on your right
and another later on your left.
Sobered, drive on.
Drive on for miles
if the fields are full of hawkweed and daisies.
Sometimes a spotted horse
will gallop along the fence. Sometimes you'll see
a hawk circling, sometimes a vulture.
by Connie Wanek
First you'll come to the end of the freeway.
Then it's not so much north on Woodland Avenue
as it is a feeling that the pines are taller and weigh more,
and the road, you'll notice,
is older with faded lines and unmown shoulders.
You'll see a cemetery on your right
and another later on your left.
Sobered, drive on.
Drive on for miles
if the fields are full of hawkweed and daisies.
Sometimes a spotted horse
will gallop along the fence. Sometimes you'll see
a hawk circling, sometimes a vulture.
(the whole poem is at The Writer's Almanac)
Today is a traveling day, and this poem seems apt. Especially the part about the horizon (you'll have to read the whole poem).
Happy Friday! Happy Poetry! Jama has the roundup this week at Jama's Alphabet Soup, and as usual, it is drooliciously wonderful!
That is so beautiful - thanks so much for sharing this. Love the idea of the horizon being behind, and proceeding on your knees. Really masterful, this one. :)
ReplyDeleteI will never receive or offer directions in the same way again.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this one, by a new-to-me poet. Didn't see the last line coming, quite thought-provoking.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this, in the back of my mind I was thinking about the differences in the way men vs. women give directions. :)
So, so beautiful. Enjoy your travels.
ReplyDeleteI love this! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHappy trails, Mary Lee. This poem makes me think of going east, across those plains to visit my parents all those years. Even as an adult I would be so excited to "be" there. Just beautiful, & thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this beautiful one.I also sharing to every one to some thing like that botanic gardens, avocado trees, short rainforest walk, a meandering lane, a new hidden garden, running stream along the side of the property and two waterfalls
ReplyDelete"You'll know when you're close;
ReplyDeletepeople always say they have a sudden sensation
that the horizon, which was always far ahead,
is now directly behind them."
I read these lines many times over, thinking one could say this as much about travel to a certain kind of place as well as one's travel through life as a whole: the journey we make.
This is one for my e-poetry journal, Mary Lee. I'm keepin' it.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary Lee, I have just traveled around 24 hours just to be with family here in Vegas and my 'travels' have brought me nothing but really horrid jetlag. Haha. Well, it's kind of fun too, of course, catching up with family, but the jet lag I can definitely live without. This poem is a lovely reminder to always keep one's eye open as one travels through life in general.
ReplyDelete