the long haul
It’s a tale as old as time, written in
an age ruled by convenience
pleasure
and disposability
The world of our great grandparents
revolved around the philosophy of
If it’s broke, fix it.
There were no replacements
no trade-ins
for some elusive, better model
I’m not a mechanic, but I can learn
how to change the oil or
fix a flat tire. Whatever it takes
to keep this vehicle running smooth
Nothing worth having was ever easy to get
and nothing worth keeping was ever
effortless to maintain
On the other side of struggle, we always
find something greater
than what we had started with
My parents have loved each other fiercely
for the past thirty years
Checking the engine, cleaning its parts
putting in the time, always
I’ve already buckled in for the long haul
road map sitting on my lap
spare tire and gasoline waiting in the trunk
the adventure is waiting for us, and
it doesn’t matter where we’re going
just how we get there