The Gift Ride

 

source

 

Riding from Philadelphia to Cincinnati
in a new Rivian R1S, taller than a car,

I viewed the tree-filled mountains of
Pennsylvania, the flat fertile plains of Ohio,
and the endless sky from the backseat
under a dynamic glass roof set on
transparent rather than opaque.
 
Ten hours in a gift of a ride with my brother
and the driver—his son—two people
I hadn’t seen in quite a while—exchanging
memories, arguing politics until we couldn’t
agree to disagree mildly, hearing about the
occasion we had been gathered to attend—
the Bat Mitzvah of the oldest daughter.
 
The green of summer mingled with the red,
ginger, and orange of fall.  An occasional clump
of white birch brought yellow leaves to the fore.
And the bare fields lay harvested and waiting.
We stopped every three hours to recharge the
car’s electric, to stretch our legs, and to snack. 
Sated, we trusted ourselves to GPS, and moved on.

 

For Mary's prompt "Through the Windshield" at What's Going On? 

 

My blog poems are rough drafts.

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© 2025 Susan L. Chast