Night Companions

Between the hours of 11pm until 4am the interstates are pretty much owned by us truckers.

It's night and the lot is 

full of  sleeping giants;

some chortling in idle

some silent in wait.

In their covered chambers

the drivers snooze;

dreaming of girls? fishing?

of being home?

Another night, quiet

and cool, the arc of

the street lights

is my friend.

At night

I can drive with my 

brothers and sisters.

We travel in packs

with the occasional

4 wheeler weaving

between us; we

watch, wary for signs of drink.

Watching the trees

looking for shining eyes

or movement.

A deer unsure where to run.

It's night

and I begin another mile

toward 500 more 

and the coming day.

Reviews

[SHEEMA HUQ]

You describe your surroundings and the setting so expertly, vey well done, I enjoyed.

[Renée]

Now this is a great write of Americana .. what would we do without you truckers? I live near a big shipping center trucks coming and going...from there to seeing ya'll on the road when I travel..a welcome site! Broke down once and who gave me a hand..a trucker. Need to know where to eat...look for the trucks.. a write that makes me smile ! Well Done and Thanks ! ( :

[Leslie Philibert]

a poet with a clear, very American voice. A good write.

[Mark]

Thank you for that wonderful compliment.

[Claire Twinn]

Two contrasting feelings shine through in the darkness; the loneliness and danger of night time driving and the companionship of other truckers

[Mark]

I think driving can be dangerous when a person becomes complacent with it. Being aware and ensuringthere Iis enough time to react to changing situations makes it much safer. Thanks for reading

[TL Boehm]

Loved this. When we travel back to MI from NM we drive straight through. Its about 27 hours. I remember the trucks on the road on I 25 - on the Oklahoma Turnpike (I think they may have renamed it?) driving through Lubbock, Kansas City. etc. Seems like there are more trucks going east west though than north south.

[Mark]

There are more trucks going East West... I 40 through Arkansas and Tennesee is one of the busiest interstates in the country. I 35 runs from Laredo all the way up through Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Des Moines, and the Twin Cities of Minnesota. I think from Lubbock, you'd probably take I 27 up to I 40 East to Oklahoma City to I 44 (Turnpike) which kind of travels NE, SW.. then there's a couple different ways to get to MI from there depending which part you live in.

[Infinite hexes]

Its interesting to read a poem by a trucker about his experiences. This is a good write.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

This was brilliant, my friend. I have always been fascinated with the life of a trucker...driving constantly, seeing the country from the windows of a blasting behemoth, meeting so many different people...it must be somewhat enchanting. Still, there are dangers to avoid, as you point out so clearly. This piece just really brings the "life" to life, you know? I would love to see more like this from you...more of these "road stories". :)

It's night
and I begin another mile
toward 500 more
and the coming day. -- great finish!

[Mark]

I have a couple others. I'll send rr's

[prachi prangya agasti]

brilliant description felt like i was there.. great usage of imagery... nice piece...

[Kristin Lee]

Wonderful imagery, felt like I was right there in a cab with you.

[Mark]

Thanks Kristin :) Glad you enjoyed it.

[s y e]

There is some wonderful imagery here, Mark - nicely done.

~ Noodle.

[Mark]

Thank you dear girl! Glad you liked. :)