When travelling for hours and hours together I thought a lot about what was important in life. Over and over as I hear men’s stories I am reminded of how important father’s are to their sons. I trust that a road trip allowed the space for what is important to be demonstrated and spoken to my son.
1000 miles of connection
What lies between the first mile
And the next one thousand,
Isn’t about a number,
Or, the planned destination,
One thousand miles of connection,
Is time shared watching white lines
Flow past, hour after hour,
Endless stretches,
Broken and unbroken lines,
Black bitumen stretching out,
Signposts saying we’re not there,
Not by a long shot,
Open horizons,
Making room for a conversation.
A thousand mile conversation
Is mostly about silence,
Pauses, between signposts,
Landmarks, glancing by,
Reminders of where we are,
Waiting patiently for us to arrive,
And go on, quickly,
Small surprises found along the road,
Shaping the next few words, then,
passed and forgotten,
This conversation that waited till now,
Taking a lifetime, plus one thousand miles.
Now, this conversation,
With its hours of silence,
And, endless black bitumen,
Connecting over a thousand shared miles,
With a tender emerging almost man,
The one shaped by my presence,
My words, creating his story,
Words that he will tell his son,
Reminding me, a truth I can neglect,
All it needed was a thousand miles.
