something old...

Driving to North Carolina

My mother begs me to wait until morning,
A friend, concerned, asks if I’m okay to drive through the night.
But don’t they know,
That I would not give up one moment
Of those lonely nights on the road?
Shedding the plains of Illinois
Like old worn skins
Just in time to catch Louisville in darkness
Bright buildings against inky skies,
Deep blue Kentucky clouds
Tinged with the faintest light of dawn.
Sunrise over West Virginia mountains
Slow and subtle in greens and grays
Before orange light pours out
Through morning river mists.
North Carolina sends the clouds down to meet me
In a breathy carpet of fog,
Tall grasses in the first light of morning
And sleepy southern drawls over daybreak sticky buns
Lazy “Yes Ma’ams” with a steaming mug of coffee
Truckers just starting on their routes.
The roads twist and pull towards the coast
Daring me to keep driving
And try to make it to the beaches by nightfall.