"A
Right Turn At Romance"
Poetry by Michael F. Nyiri
Saturday, September 10th, 7:03 a.m. pdt
My roadmap has always had
torn pages
and great chunks of areas
pulled away from the seams
I have always memorized the rough ridges
and stony mud lined trenches of desire
I have lived in these memories while the sun appears
Laughing at nonsensical musings
like so much red clay kicked by folly
into the gutters of oblivion.
I have driven blindly through
pure despair
flicking the lever controlling
my windshield wipers of wistfulness
as the rains of ruin wash over my totality
Rushing headlong into the
rancid rivers of regret
screeching my tires
but hearing no blowout just yet
A long triptich of terrain
hardly maneuvered
while looking steadfast into the
rear view mirror of life
wanting those wants
and hoping those hopes
as the landscape becomes more
familiar and yet more strange and foreign
in front of me
Malice and pain notwithstanding
the trip has been one long and strange
for sure
Headlights burn out when
blazing into sunlight
Batteries die when
the spark of love disappears
Salient celibacy celebrates
significance
as the road washes out up ahead
and the road signs fall over
and the pages of the map mildew with age
and disappear along with my tears
And then, right when the
road seems less travelled
by purity and wisdom, with potholes and pitfalls
occuring with increased regularity,
I suddenly find a right turn at Romance,
and finally home seems to appear
slyphlike in the distance,
and the churchbells of cheerfulness
chime with gleeful abandon
and I can throw out the roadmap forever
Poetry
2005
