ahead of me
i see the road
a shimmering black river
its mouth open
with a yawn
waiting, always waiting
for me to enter

i do so willingly
hoping some where
i will find beauty
but then it is
always there
in front of me
through all 48

from the best
to the worst
there is more
beauty than we know

the populated cities
with hysterical people
running to and from work
all chasing some goal
for some it is making
a living for some it is
climbing the ladder
either the economic
or the social for some
it is just to survive

in any case
there is beauty
around them even if many
maybe most don’t see it

they pass things daily
the crowds move around
too quickly to see
their minds always one step
ahead of where they are

moving west of the misissippi
things seemed to move more slowly
except of course in the half dozen
or so large cities

but outside the
oasis of tall buildings
and rapidly moving
traffic to and from
chasing something

is it in the small towns
or rural slowness
that beauty is acknowledged

diving into the road’s mouth
i drive by tens
10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90

visiting over the years
each state always
finding beauty

it is there
across the Spartan
areas of west texas,
new mexico, arizona,
and parts of utah

it is there
spread out across
the plains of those states

and there in those
rocky peaks of the
tall mountains
beauty never leaves us
just our minds
on occasion

01/01/2017