Roiling clouds, grey as the mountains,
spill across sky, over the plains.
Farmhouses wrecked by the violence of wind,
mute warning for those still stuck to earth.
A blizzard’s first kiss bends roadside grasses,
travels through tires and axle to my palms
clutching the wheel. I don’t remember cars
or birds. Every minute the colors bleed
toward an iron uniformity.
I forget to believe in gravity.
β
I’ve been working on a series of road poems lately. Some new stuff and some old ones I’ve been revising. Read Write Poem’s prompt for the day was Road Trip so here’s a road poem.
It comes from a trip I took up to Colorado on ’94. One day, I decided to drive up toward Cheyenne because I’d never been to Wyoming. There was a blizzard coming in and, well, that led to this poem.
James Brush is a teacher and writer who lives in Austin, TX. He tries to get outside as much as possible.
swoon, what an awesome poem. the last line carries the whole reading experience way deep.
Sarah, thank you for kind words, and thanks for stopping by.
The tension is apparent here, with words like axle, clutch, iron… A poem that shows the power of nature.
Thoughts just fly. Dont they?
This piece really stuck with me; basically descriptive and yet such muted power in the storm imagery, like being on the verge of the apocalypse. Seriously, that was like a surprise punch to the gut.
Me like π
You really captured the feeling of being in one of those plains blizzards (I should know :-). The last line is perfect!
christine, Thanks. I hadn’t thought of clutch as part of the car until reading your comment. Years of driving an automatic, but my old car was a manual.
Jeeves, Especially when driving alone.
AnOminous Mistake, A good storm will do that to you. Thanks for your comment.
throws his words, Thanks. I’m glad to hear it works for someone more familiar with these kinds of things. I’ve only enjoyed two. Both from the road.
Intriguing poem, and that last couplet is fabulous I know exactly what that last line is saying, and I feel it all over again when I read. Really good work.
The last two couplets particularly are excellent. Very evocative poem
Loved the ending couplet..
mortal thoughts
road trip
Thanks!
I love the rhyming couplet at the end of the poem. It wraps up the rugged terrain kind of feel to a road trip. Very adventurous as it makes me want to go on a road trip, but not to get smack in the middle of a blizzard though!! lol
I enjoyed this poem very much!
Also, I sincerely thank you for visiting me at my poetry LJ! My apologies for taking a while to respond to you as I always try to return the visit. π
Best,
Lotus
A~Lotus, Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words. That last couplet seems pretty popular. It’s what I kept thinking that day.
Joanna, Crafty Green Poet, and Gautami, thanks, all, for visiting and for your comments.