Driving

Your mind opens on an Ohio Turnpike
that jackknifes into a belt of evergreens.
Traveling is one big nothing
we’re part of. The miles, the minutes,
when you think of them make you
part of them. The billboards blowing in
and out of sight like the endless
procession of ryegrass. When night falls
only the mute eyes of roadside deer
keep you alert. You’d like to shove
all this behind you but your headlights
keep startling the open road awake.