Dashboard

Turning the radio off
I turned my imagination on.

Vibrations from the road
Through my car’s suspension
Body
And ultimately into the steering column
And wheel
Connected me to the long
Gray highway.

Tar patches
Spaced evenly in the road bed
Beat time
To my speed
And I heard the beginnings
Of verse.

Words migrated into my brain
Suggesting rhythm and meter
Adding a beat that sat down
Emotions
And temper.

Every poem has its own color
Its particular hue.
This one was deep violet
Passionate
Flirtatious
And wantonly off-balance.

I vented the window
And the flow of air
The warmth of summer sun
And scent of mown fields
Provided the poem’s season
Even its weather
And time of day
Releasing half-forgotten memories
Into the creative mix.

The best room
I have yet discovered
That offers contemplation
And atmosphere
For the making of poetic birth
Is the open places of the earth
And the dashboard of a car.