Long day in the saddle - 611 miles covered today from south-east Pennsylvania to south-east Michigan.
But we did encounter one semi-interesting point along the way.
~~::~~
Just today I drove over
The highest point on I-80
[East of the Mississippi]
One hundred eleven miles from Ohio.
Twenty-two hundred and fifty feet
above the level of the rising sea.
You are not impressed.
There is no sheer drop off
No three foot wide path
perched on a wind-swept ridge.
No.
Instead, four lanes of asphalt
With a grassy median
Surrounded by gently rolling hills
And trees; a dense infinity of trees.
Home to deer and foxes
Slinking in the underbrush
Rabbits, song birds, voles
All avoiding the keen eyes of hawks
Who soar at heights unattainable
Unimaginable and undesired
By timid flat-landers pretending
To fly in their four wheeled metal boxes.
The highest point on I-80
[East of the Mississippi]
One hundred eleven miles from Ohio.
Twenty-two hundred and fifty feet
above the level of the rising sea.
You are not impressed.
There is no sheer drop off
No three foot wide path
perched on a wind-swept ridge.
No.
Instead, four lanes of asphalt
With a grassy median
Surrounded by gently rolling hills
And trees; a dense infinity of trees.
Home to deer and foxes
Slinking in the underbrush
Rabbits, song birds, voles
All avoiding the keen eyes of hawks
Who soar at heights unattainable
Unimaginable and undesired
By timid flat-landers pretending
To fly in their four wheeled metal boxes.
~~::~~
reduced to a quasi-haiku
one more road wrinkle
in the pennsylvania flounce
asphalt furbelow
Who soar at heights unattainable
ReplyDeleteUnimaginable and undesired
By timid flat-landers pretending
to fly in their four wheeled metal boxes. .. wonderful. Love my mountains though.
Thanx.
DeleteI can see why you love your mountains, but they are not for me.
This entry was pretty much stream of semi-consciousness. I'm way over-tired, and now off to bed.
Cheers!
JzB
But flying in those boxes we miss the birds and foxes.
ReplyDeleteThose last two stanzas are mighty indeed.
ReplyDeleteNice road trip, J.B. I rode along with you and felt all the nice little bumps. My favorite was "There is no sheer drop off, No three foot wide path, perched on a wind-swept ridge". But of course, that is what you want went you're on the Interstate.
ReplyDeleteBTW, one of my grandsons, now thirty-six, still calls me Bumpa
(pronounced 'Boompa) from back when he couldn't say Papa.
..
I am impressed. Especially with the serendipity of 111...that's a number that likes to appear frequently in my life and I love this,
ReplyDelete"Surrounded by gently rolling hills
And trees; a dense infinity of trees..."
and the rest of your descriptions of what lives there...much enjoyed the view from your shoes...thank you for joining! :)
Yes, those last two stanzas pack a punch....It is really flat here in Texas where I live, yet I do soar at times to get above sea level. :)
ReplyDelete