Unintentionally at first now so obvious
Desert highway off-shoot boomtown
Pit stop for the wandering and weary
An oasis between light bulbs of thought
And long stretches of darkness sublime
I can never leave the past here fast enough
Yet all the roads of romance lead me astray
Up the five to the ninety-nine, I travel
Only to come back again to retract again
And reverse yet again to return to extend
Where love can’t escape or truly mend
From the weight of it
From the wait for it
The burden is too much
The burden is all-encompassing
The puzzle needs its key piece
I turn the key in the ignition that turns me
Onward
Eighteen eyesore wheels carry the burden
Of my ancient scar of heartache untended
Forced by frantic phone call into the fray
Of unfinished business long ignored
Unintentionally, I would like to believe
“Is this all there is?” I murmur skyward
But not one brave soul ever answers me
Near the lone flickering neon beer sign
Outside the last so-called civilized truck stop
On a gravel path at three A.M., Bakersfield
