Death Valley (A Poem)

What's the point?

Seven years later,

No sign of life, 

No sign of love,

No sign of stop or go,

Just a long dirt road,

Into the distance,

A straight desert road,

into the horizon,

With no end in sight...

I know time will go by,

I know the road will weave, 

But here, all I see is that narrow road into the Horizon, 

It may feel worthless to keep going,

But, the eye over the hill convinces me to keep moving,

That continuing down this road will somehow lead me to the shore,

Or maybe to some kind of Oasis,

But, I see no end in sight...

It's only a minor skepticism that drives me,

Saying that by staying course, Something will change, 

That driving down an endless road,

Can't be the end all be all,

That somewhere ahead there must be a sign of life,

That it can't end like this,

A desert thirst never quenched, 

Only a mirage of opportunities, 

That maybe my feet will really catch that Oasis this time, 

That somewhere in this moment there's a way out. 

A dark dungen looms, 

I find myself stopping on the side of the road,

There's a cinder block building with no roof,

But, it sparks my curiousity, 

Maybe there's a story here, 

Maybe Elvis Presly once drove this road,

Maybe Tom Petty saw these clouds, and wrote the American Girl,

Maybe a witty red hed once travelled this road...

I look to the tan desert mountants as the sun begins to set, 

An aura of colors fills the sky, 

There are no tire marks, or signs of life, 

But, there is a story, and a hell of a story that's for sure. 

Especially with the bulliet holes on side of the building...

I kick my car into gear, 

I'm driving a GTO, I can hear it scream,

Never did quite catch that story, 

But, I'm sure there's a truck stop over the hill....

That was just all I needed, 

I've got three more redbulls, 2 packs of cigarettes, and a quarter tank of gas.

That's more than enough to get me to the next town...

So, 

When you're on an open road,

And, it seems like it's never ending, 

Just think of the ride you're havin',

That destiny is in the here & now, 

That the biggest gift in life is you're hair waiving in the wind, 

The rock & roll blairing,

That click when you turn on the headlights, 

That scream when you kick into 3rd and rip it up hill,

and that smile when you see her...

Sometimes it's the hell that drives you,

Sometimes it's the money that drives you,

Sometimes it's the music that drives you,

But in the best of times, it's the love that drives you...

So hang on, 

Quit burnin' rubber and get a grip. 

Cause you don't even know it yet, 

But, Vegas is in the distance, and,

You're in for a wild ride...

-Joseph Rothvogel