Driving

This poem was inspired by my experiences driving for hours on end in Australia and the song “Hound Dog” released by Cold Chisel (lyrics by Don Walker). You can see live performance of the song recorded in the early 2000s here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywRVABy4j6Y The song was on the 1982 album, Circus Animals….side note: how could that be 40 years ago already?? For more information about the band and their music you can check out their official website: https://www.coldchisel.com/

Asphalt in my blood
Endless grey monotony
Straight lines forced
to bed around contrived corners
that exist only to give me
something to navigate.

Watching the dial
swing the revolutions per minute
per mile
as gears change 
but nothing else does.

Long journeys
no air conditioning 
or talking
Just the sound of the tires
on the round surface and the engine

So much time to think
and get sun burnt
So many roads to travel and
places to see
as glimpses wash by

I have asphalt in my blood
and the urge to drive
until I reach 
the end of the road 
and decide to keep going.

This image is cool but the sky is too busy, the grass too green and the landscape too interesting to be a good representation of the roads I grew up driving.