Bungled Day Trip Poem by Bill Galvin

Driving from Fresno east to the mountains.
Intending to visit Kings Canyon, lower Sierra Nevada,
And admiring the already golden rolling foothills
Beyond the orange groves of the valley.
The two lane blacktop winds up these foothills
And stony outcroppings blend with the native grasses
On the rounded slopes.

I have not felt myself today, and I’m full of doubts…
I’m out of sorts, uncomfortable,
About pushing onward, about the next chapter.
I’ve made a lot of climbs, a lot of reunions.
I may be getting weary of the road
After four weeks of travel.
This mildly steep drive is bothering me,
And it’s nothing like where I’ve been lately.
I pull off the road many times, not to view the scene,
But to mull over the scene I am writing now.

Anxiety like from my early formative years
Rears its ugly head and forces a reversal.
I turn back, knowing I still have trails to hike,
And mountains to climb;
I just need a pause from this lonesome road.

When we rode together,
We had the strength and nerve of two brave hearts;
Together we bridged the chasms of despair
And loneliness and unhappiness
That individually we found hard to overcome.

Do you remember, hiking in the Whites or Acadia
And coming to small streams or boulders
That I could navigate with my long legs,
But not you… so, I’d reach back an arm
And you’d grab ahold firmly and with a yank
You’d be on my side, higher and drier.
We knew then, early on, didn’t we?
The rest of our life together,
God kept that arm and back strong enough
To help you across most everything.

(I sob and I weep now,
All part of the process, they say.)

I disappoint myself, but…
I need to hang up my spurs a bit,
Leave the trail behind a while,
Lay low like the flatlander that I am.
Sit back, digest, allow reflection;
Climb another stronger day.

4-9-2015