Taking my turn in the back seat
starting out.
Wondering how to pass four hours and 26 minutes.
Two-hundred-fifty-nine miles,
a Bleed-Blue Kentucky Wildcat cutting through the Buckeye State on Route 62
en route to Cleveland.

A basket stocked with snacks on the seat to my left;
a box of Triscuits and a can of sharp cheddar cheese,
chocolate chip cookies, a cup of Oreo Minis
and a bag of pretzel sticks.
I’m not hungry, though.
Fine. Pretzels.

Mindless munching,
landscape gazing
past corn fields.
Will the crop be knee-high
by the Fourth of July?
Rows and rows.

Slowing down
driving through town
passing a strip mall:
Subway, Verizon, Hibbett,
Petland, Walmart, McDonald’s
The Razor’s Edge Full Service Salon.

Thirty-five miles per hour, now,
passing small ranch houses
with well-manicured lawns
Ohio State fan flags flapping
Purple roofs and green shutters.

Cleveland is so far away.