Thin air

SusannahH,

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We streak along this narrow asphalt ribbon
into the stratosphere, zig-zagging
through switchbacks, slipping
around hairpin curves designed
by mountain goats and built by madmen,

decorated with puny guardrails
that serve no purpose known to man,
and no way off this cursed road where
hell is up, not down – unless, of course,
by some mischance (or blinded
by the sun) we hurtle into space
and final oblivion.

Whey-faced, scarcely drawing breath,
I emit, from time to time, a thin chorus
of bleats and moans and despairing
whinnies, as we skim this knife edge
alongside sure and certain death.

O Lord, I groan, I wasn’t meant for
such awful heights.  Let me die safely
at sea level in my bed, peacefully,
of ripe and happy old age, not
crushed and maimed in this tin can
at the bottom of some mountain pass!

O God, I’m not ready to go yet!

Teeth clenched, I practice–too little,
too late–levitation…levitation…
but I’m grounded like a stone,
at the mercy of car and driver,
forced, finally, to confront
the bright, obscenely grinning maw
of absolute, craven fear.

Craven Fear for "Thin Air" on Susannah's Journey Blog

Susannah
Mesa Verde, 1995

8 Comments

    1. Hi Martha,

      If there were any chance that we’d be doing that anytime soon, I can assure you without a word of a lie that I’d definitely be steering clear of that highway. Enough’s enough! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      3. I was on it about 20 years ago. I was terrified. It was duck and cover the whole trip — I wasn’t driving. It was the 4th of July and we couldn’t get back over the border. It was a mess… We thought it would be a “short cut” and it ended up taking four hours.

        Like

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