Freeway

Published in Volume 13 of Issue Cosumnes River Journal.

california is on the radio and jesus
christ is on the dashboard he is

nodding his head as if he too
calls the west coast home now; you have
one flat palm against the wheel

spinning while your friends call red
or black they say you drive like

a man; they toss their beer cans
into the footwell, your teeth

are ground to dust and you have sunscreen on
your left arm only, but you can taste it
everywhere. the desert breeze is blowing

the hot sand into glass trinkets. alex
is tapping out the percussion on your

headrest— you will flip at the motel;
for now, concentrate on the 

pools of sweat on the road in the
distance; mel holds the water bottle

like a crib dribbler just out of your
eye line while you suckle— it is
hot here and the roadsigns speak

of paradise. strain harder and all
three can grow wings out
of your shoulder blades. two

kilometres back a hot air
balloon landed halfway across

the freeway and the tourists
spilled out like picnic wine
into the oncoming traffic.

Cosumnes River Journal is an annual print magazine of literature and art. You can find their recent publications here.