what cheer is 20 miles north,
guess i'll never know
cuz that's a right, & i'm bearing left to get back on the highway
pull into a reststop on bad route road
sign says, “the sky is no longer the limit”
but i’m flying, flying anyway.
find momentum on the downhill
and never break into a curve
smile at a flustered trucker in a men’s room in montana
don’t speed through texas or indiana
climb on stage again, and test the limits of my nerve
somebody shouted, “FREEBIRD!” guess i look like skynyrd,
or maybe the wind was rustling
and somebody could tell, somebody could tell, somebody heard
highways turn to freeways turn to dirt roads near a sacred mountain
and it’s all an excersise in living in the now
still, i take it home with me, oh, it’s fascinating just to see
how many long embraces my wingspan will allow
there’s a woman in a safe & stickey prison near long island sound
she can’t escape right now, she says “it’s dangerous out there.”
she sends me little cards along the airways
they trail me through the one-ways of toronto
and we race out to bellingham
the last one said, “loving you. enjoy the freedom.”
with a picture of a feather, and an open, empty cage
so find momentum on the downhill
and never break into a curve
smile at a flustered trucker in a men’s room in montana
don’t speed through texas or indiana
climb on stage again, and test the limits of my nerve
somebody shouted, “FREEBIRD!” guess i look like skynyrd,
or maybe the wind was rustling
and somebody could tell, somebody could tell,
and somebody could tell, somebody could tell,
somebody heard

copyright Arjuna Greist 2003