the yucca are back
on the hills
they remember me
and some
are beginning to show it


look
that valley there
yes,
going back up
to the clouds
and there’s the lake
and the observation center
I hope it’s
still alive and funded


and dark clouds
creeping over the summit
like an alien invasion
waiting to strike


and the roadside crop
of tumbleweeds
getting ready


and Chaz and I
had discussed the word hate
I said how annoyed I was
with Trump
because he’s making me
rethink my stance
I want to love everybody
and hate no one
Chaz says he has the same
problem doesn’t want
to use the word hate
but has no problem with
detest and
a whole litany
of variations


and Kristina reaches her hand
back around from the front seat
to squeeze my hand
I don’t want to let go
her hand is so warm


and power lines
marching along
the top of the hill
to let us know
where they are


I don’t know how
Jack in the Box
got the name
does he pop out
of the box
holding a jester burger
was that
consumer tested?


and there are cows
grazing really close
to the freeway
without fences
trusting like members
in a cult

and the cattle carrier truck
going back empty
when it could fill up
and go back full the other way
saving half the money
that’s the kind of thing
the government
should investigate
it’s the economy


Trump is outlawing
everything he doesn’t like
like education
and foreign countries
and ugly women
and make-up companies
sign on to boom their business
an enterprise
doomed to fail him
because he’s
no judge of real women
they’re like the truth
he can’t handle


I had a real woman
almost all my life
I love all her sisters
and all men are brothers


I’m like the tractor parked
by the orchard vineyard
waiting
to do its job


we’re almost four hours out
I can live that long
how fast are we driving?


First things first

Yeah?
Yeah!
Gimme a break!
A bathroom break?
Well, yeah, that first.
I know priorities.


I can grin and bear it.
Can you grin and bare it?


There are a lot of people
cleverer than me.
Why isn’t everybody?


Notice how I comfortably
make what once were
grammatical mistakes.
If I can relax the language,
we should all be able
to relax what we say.


little hand
going in and out
the back window
of a passing car
must be a little
kid trying to
make up his mind
unless he just likes
to feel the air


Restaurant sign:
Taste of India

I’d like to


Harris Ranch
Shop. Stay. Dine.
No. No. Maybe.


I like your poems.
How do you…?
When did you…?
Why have I never…?
Really?
Which ones?
Tell me more.


Checking my phone
on the road
to see who’s
reading my blog.
So far
nothing new.

Just wait
‘til they get a load
of this one.


I’m comfortable
using clichés.
I just don’t know
enough of them.


the signs
every ten miles
tell me
how close
I’m getting.
I can almost
feel it.


I don’t have time
to disappoint myself.
That’s a waste of time.


And now I turn
to look at the other side
of the road.
The view’s the same
almost.


Oh my God!
I wasn’t buckled in!
I’ve been going for miles
unbuckled!
Must have happened
at the gas station
when I got out
to check the oil.


Can I put my seat back?
Yes.
And you can snore
if you want.
Chaz is driving.


And there’s another
demon driver highway pig
cutting in front.
It’s the reality
of the road
but not the rules
of the road
not those rules written down
not even those of common sense
(which, by the way,
is less and less common).


Curious.

What are they learning
in school
these days?
I’ll have to go visit
to find out.
But even when
I was teaching
I didn’t really know
no matter how much
they showed me.


I’m like a lone bull.
I want a herd.
I’m like a bee.
I want a hive.
I’m like a bird.
I want a flock.
I’m like a goose.
I want a gaggle.
I’m like a ram.
I want ewe.


I’m a slow thinker.
I thought it would be fun
to invite you along
on the ride,
and then I looked
at the blog
and realized
I did and
you are.