Everything’s bigger in Texas, including our highways. Summer is on its way and that means planning a road trip across one of these concrete titans. That was the inspiration for Typewriter Rodeo’s David Fruchter as he wrote this week’s poem.
Texas Highways
start from the east,
and you’ll pass through
swampland and bog territory
cypress and pines
and lots of small towns
as you transition to slow,
rolling hills
studded with scrub growth
juniper and prickly pear
finally, the road
opens up before you
the sky grows into a glorious vault
over your head
mountains in the far distance
but you’ll drive all day
before they get any closer
endless flat plains
clusters of uniform white spires
atop a nearby mesa
as the wind farms whir away
in Texas, it’s easy to drive
far enough to lose yourself
over and over
and that’s half the discovery:
who will you be
at the end of this road…
Audio prepared by Laura Rice.