Sunday, May 29, 2011

Rural Summer

By Rick Williams


Driving barefoot, hardly dressed,
the heated air feels good.
Open windows, blowing hair;
living summer like we should.

Dusty ribbons of empty roads
cut pathways through the land.
The air that blows throughout the car
though hot, still keeps us fanned.

Unconcerned with blowing hair,
and squinting in the sun,
we're singing with the radio
to add to the driving fun.

Every time we crest a rise
we ease up on the gas,
but the lonely road goes onward
through the fields of dirt and grass.

In places where the asphalt ends
and the road turns into gravel,
a rooster tail of dust blows high
and follows as we travel.

The rising plume that follows us
shows others when we're near,
and also lets any others know
if their traffic "coast is clear".

There's another reason to drive fast:
To stay ahead of dust.
Keeping it outside the car
when driving is a plus.

The scents that waft from sun-baked fields
like hay and fresh-turned earth
are the country smells of summer,
and we've cherished them since birth.

After driving on these dusty roads
we're gritty, dry, and hot,
so we head down to the clear, cool river
our favorite summer spot.

Out there off the beaten path,
away from prying eyes,
skinny-dipping the day away,
under clear blue skies.

Rural life in summertime
is simple and carefree,
but we don't want the world to know
or crowded we will be.