We were so clearly defined: we loved;
and the goal – till death, together
down this road everyone calls life.
No one told us, there would be forks,
detours, sidetracks, shortcuts, scenic
distractions – so many ways to go
so many ways to get lost;
no one said, there might be sections
closed because of construction or
accidents or simply (No Thru Road)
because the road leads to nowhere
except to an edge of cliff that looks down
to a wide open ocean with no way
to get to the beach. We thought we could
go on forever the day we left
with cans dragging,rattling behind us
and our families and friends waving
goodbye, wishing us happiness;
we thought that was all we needed
for fuel –- good luck -- we took no map
because we wanted an adventure
but the car b r o k e down
and neither of us wanted to get out
to push, as if blame would haul us
back but all it did was put us to
the side of the road. I sat on the curb
looking at the broken painted lines
of this road, while you sat in the car
waiting for the engines to cool off.