Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Night Driving


Night Driving


when driving down lonesome 
highways at night
I have often wondered if there 
is a word
specific for the sensation one has
when pondering the lives inside
all of the lit up houses along the way

sporadically planted homes
all geographically separated 
from one another with varying distance
connected only by the road 
in between

nearly all of them have a blue
flickering glow in at least 
one room
where the family gathers to
lose themselves, 
to forget that even together,
they are alone

the word isn’t quite melancholia,
nostalgia 
or even loneliness

this feeling washes over me only when driving at night--
(obviously, during the day there are no 
visible lights behind all those windows
to draw the eye and make one think)

riding in the backseat, as a child
with my parents up front, 
I was so sure that those other 
lives inside
were better than my own

now I know they are all filled with
moments of happiness, sadness,
hopefulness and regret
in varying degrees

how it that we humans can 
have such a simultaneous feeling of connection
and separation 
does everyone feel this way,
traveling over the long dark roads
at night?

4.29.2014



2 comments:

The Gossamer Tearoom said...

Hello!
I have just discovered you from your adorable and charming shop on Etsy! You have such a lovely style to your paintings and I was very taken with your literary references! I have just marked your shop as one of my favorites, as well as several of your paintings.

Also, this poem completely captures thoughts I have had about houses I would pass at night! Perfect!

Wishing you a most beautiful and creative day!

Betty

vivienne strauss said...

Thank you for dropping by, Betty and for leaving such a thoughtful and nice comment!