Once upon a time it was decided that the sprawling city
could no longer be allowed to hold us captive in its thrall
and even so though it was midnight and not quite a time for driving
(or is it the perfect time for driving)
I fill up the tank with gas and drive over to her place,
parking on the road, switching CDs while I wait
and then she runs out in her favorite adventure hoodie
and holding a pile of books
she joins me in the car for a journey to
somewhere
(possibly nowhere)
but maybe somewhere, we shall see.

Eagerly and far too awake
we chatter to each other,
and the retro beats emanating from the stereo distract me and so
I try to change the music
but she says no, not yet, this is my vibe.
And I laugh and say ok then, we shall not mess with that!

And then I get slightly aggravated that I must come to a halt
before us the railroad arms drop lower, its red lights flashing us into submission
She put her hand on my arm in silent commiseration
and I wryly grin.
Of course we would get stopped by a train at 2 in the morning.
At least the train cars are oh so prettily decorated
by such variegated art.

Soon enough onward west we push, mile after easy mile,
Slowly and ever so surely we escape the hazy contaminated light behind us
and push forward into the pure unadulterated black of the night sky
and the stars began to shine a little brighter now
no more lakes of concrete, no more angular blocks of steel
no more twinkling light of sleeping towers to mock our dreams
only
free-floating cirrus clouds flowing over the face of the full moon
and the land rising up to embrace us
unencumbered by strip malls and parking lots
only gently swaying young slender trees
and the ubiquitous telephone poles
of course.

It might be time to stop soon, but right now our hearts are full
and while the music is full of tearful lyrics matched with melancholy tunes,
neither of our hands strays to the dial
for the music is forgotten in the slowly brightening sky
and in the peace that fills our souls

and neither of us says a word
for words are worse than useless here
in the quiet beyond the city,
in the glory beyond the storm.

She touches my arm now.
My eyes glance over and meet her steady gaze.
The rosy pink dawn behind us,
the night ahead still dark
but it would not be long now.
No not long at all.
Soon we shall stop and turn and greet the sunrise
atop a hilltop bare and proud
and swaying in the wind ourselves
we shall say our prayers aloud
in the burning of our hearts
in the aching of our souls
in the upward desperate cries
for that beauty not untold.