Joie Ride
written by: Eric Burgoyne
@ericinislands
Casually syncopated rhythms
of The Grateful Dead escape
from aging speakers
like a teen slipping out a
midnight window
As I coaxed the 60-year old pickup
35 miles into town
deep bass road noise
balancing open-window treble
thinking of grandchildren
Osprey and geese glide
through pristine clarity
tang of salty spring in the air
it’s paradise
Morning sun is bright
not overwhelming
deep colors and fragrance
permeating senses
some think it’s heaven
Nine miles, three pandora
tracks later I notice an
invisible thief has joined me
placidité stolen, clouds darkened
Morning joy taken hostage by
stench of distant survivor’s guilt
Volcanic eruption in St. Vincent
bumped from headlines by
catastrophic Cape Town fires
displacing news reports of
fearsome flooding in Viet Nam
Meanwhile The Dead and I run
weekend errands in Hawaii
The beauty makes it worse
