Dirt Roads

Dirt Roads

Where I am from,
dirt roads and dirt bikes
are a thing, part of the roadways
that get you from here and there,
through potato and alfalfa fields,
down to your favorite fishing hole,
or just down to the end and back.
Dirt roads can be treacherous,
especially when it rains or snows.
They become mucky, their deep ruts
filling with mud, manure,
sometimes sand, and other goo.
Rain storms soften the sides,
beckoning us, often, teasing us
to be brave, come their way,
without divulging a great secret:
their soft sides become slick,
gushy, and swish you
from side to side,
a wreck just waiting to happen.
If your bike somehow slips out
from under you, the sides grab you,
and do not let go
until you have bounced
on your hips or back, depending
on the propulsion of your body
over the top of the handlebars
and onto the ground.
You must be aware,
stay on top out of the ruts,
swerving deftly
between rocks and weeds.
If you dip into the ruts,
the chances of being bucked off
grows exponentially
or you stay mired in
for what seems like forever.
Our lives are similar to traveling
on dirt roads, often filled
with ruts and rocks, causing us
to swerve here and there, sometimes
in unknown paths or gullies
where is no way out.
The key to all this is caution,
eyes straight ahead,
paying astute attention,
slowing down to watch the terrain.
Like life, you cannot go pell-mell
unawares down a dirt road,
expecting nothing bad to happen.
Invariably, ruts just materialize,
and a huge gully appears
on both sides, begs you,
even entices you, to deviate
from high ground, into its bowels
where there is no return.
If you are wise and not afraid,
stay on top, avoid the ruts,
keep in the center on the top
between the ruts,
and pay no attention
to the sides, not even a glance,
eyes on the road at all times,
motoring straightway and true.

November 5, 2022