On The Road

3rd Place - Poetry. Passage Prize II

Race west, young man, into the closing maw
Of dusk. Unbounded black horizons wait.
Night’s highway heeds the ageless vital law
Of speed, of thrill. Cast off your license plate.
Aflame, your engine screams with spinning rage
Impelling wheels to fly along the road.
Engage the clutch. Zigzag the stick. Uncage
The faster gear. T’ward engine overload,
Accelerate! You see the road ahead
But darkly lit through glowing glass headlights.
Faint silhouettes of Joshua trees outspread
Are witnesses as fuel the soul ignites.
To call the blacktop wilderness your home
Your mindset must be gasoline and chrome.