COMMUTING

I am always on my way to someplace else
I am always late

As a general rule, only my first stop of the day is on time
Something always happens before 9 am
And I spend the rest of the day trying to catch up
The clock is my enemy

I tend to the larger issues and hope the details will take care of themselves
But they don’t

Then I load my car that was unpacked an hour ago:
Laptop, files, folders, notes,
Red pens, blue pens, calculator
Lunch box

I feel like a pack mule

Back on the road
Heading out of town
The driver behind me goes too fast
The one in front of me is too slow

Stoplight, stop sign, pedestrian, cop
A quarter mile
Half
One and a half
Two…three…five

There. Now I’m on the open road
Through the countryside
Trees, fields, farms, lakes
Sun, rain, falling leaves
Snow tires crunching over frozen ruts

This is the best time
The only time
I am all alone
With my thoughts

Sticky notes cover my dashboard
Overflow from my glove box

Things to remember for work
Ideas for a story, a house for sale
The name and address of an interesting shop
A reminder to tell my husband about the sunrise this morning

My life’s experiences recorded on
2 x 2 squares
Up mountains and down
On highways and off
Jotting it all down
Overlooking nothing
And always arriving late.