cracks in the highway

i wake up after the day begins
early light missing my eyes
reminding me of sitting outside
a motel room
caught with the thrill of travel
against the sky
and the knowledge
of early morning drive

it’s an east coast wind
that pulls me closer
like florida heat
like carolina fireflies

leave the rain
slow pigeons and
green
head into the hills
watch the truckstops
seduce the sides
of the road

i don’t take my sunglasses off
for a week
there’s a girl
wearing a cross
hair in her eyes
she smiles at me
room number 36
and by the time i finish my drink
she’s gone
greyhound quick

i tie the dusk to my door
wondering about the rain

humid veins and girl hair in my dreams
she’s gone before
i finish my drink

birds fly across my shadow
highway stay awake