Highway Spine by Diane Webster

 

Highway Spine

Now I lay me down to sleep

upon the double yellow lines

on the highway’s spine.

Vibrations gently massage

my body into dreams

of someone trying

to wake me up.

But I sleep on ... touching

asphalt with fingertips

discover a castoff

gravel smooth and sharp

on opposite sides,

a crack jags a lightning

bolt beyond my reach,

a plant rejects my hand

with fear of its coldness

until curiosity forces

my fingers to re-explore

its growth in highway’s

fissure like me if I stay

long enough to put

down roots.

___

Diane Webster’s poetry has appeared in North Dakota Quarterly, New English Review, Studio One, Jimson Weed, and elsewhere. Five micro-chaps have been published by Origami Poetry Press. Diane was a featured writer in Macrame Literary Journal and WestWard Quarterly. Her website is: www.dianewebster.com