Thanksgiving Highway

By John I. Blair

That afternoon,
Thanksgiving 1968,
Our marriage was still young,
Life an unmapped road;
The future hadn’t happened.

Hiking an Oklahoma highway,
Five kinds of cake and pie
Settling in our bellies,
We felt the strong November wind
Flush our cheeks
And rush around our legs
And saw the South Canadian
Shining in the sunlight.

As we walked to the wide river
The brisk air
Blew back to front,
Pushing us along,
But front to back as we returned,
Balking our steps, wearing us down.

The wind itself was constant,
Never changing in its sweep;
So we knew the only difference
Was the portion of the journey.

©2007 John I. Blair