A string of red pearls
stretches from P-burg to Clinton,
ear to ear across the wrinkled
neckline of New Jersey.

Newark still smells like bad
ass left to leather along steamy
shores on the down side of the Hudson.

Lightning charges at the trick
candles of an octogenarian birthday
cake over the skyline of Manhattan.

This storm is raging, pelleting
the freshly painted hood of my
car with mothball hail.
Would have made more sense
to park in a car wash.

Once we're in, Connecticut
turns vertically, a fun house
with fun drivers all apparently
late for the Hatter's tea.

Rhode Island swells with fog
from Warwick to Providence
just to boast of muscle. I suppose
anything to get by when you're
just a little guy.

Six hours takes eleven to get
home, and I'm too tired to read
Welcome to M-a-s-s-a-c-h-u-s-e-t-t-s
much less spell it.

My kingdom for a road
without an orange cone.

Really love this, Donna! What wonderful writing.
One flat bit for me: "Would have made more sense/to park in a car wash"--something I don't get here.
"lightening" = "lightning"?
-Tom

There is something inherently wrong when you correctly spell octogenarian and screw up lightning. hehe
As for the car wash...you just had to be there to believe it. Thanks for the read!

~Donna

Enjoy your intelligent wit, Donna.

You are much more geographically inclined than I could ever pretend to be.  And I admire you for it.

Excellent job,
cheryl

There is also something inherently wrong with having another writer share your computer...the above post was little old me...not Mags. ha!

Thanks again for the look see, Cheryl. I wasn't sounding too intelligent on this drive Tues/Weds, more like a sailor in a bar until the wit kicked in...it's all good now.

~donna

Back for more, still enjoying very much & have another little question for you, Donna. What of "mothball" for "moth ball"? Tom

Oh Man! Busted again. Fixed.

Lovely road poem.  A pick for me.

Rick

donna i like this tale of the highway, nice reference to P-burg! i thought my family in easton, pa and the other inhabitants of the city new of p-burg.  i slipped in newark however, that line break after bad leading to ass reads a bit off.  i also don't think the description of "bad ass" flows with the rest of your modifiers and adjectives.  something like rancid or soured perhaps?  that area of jersey is densely populated with petro processing plants, factories, and an airport, maybe a reference to one of these?  love the touch of spelling massachusetts. enjoyed the trip -lawrence

Alright, I have returned to Poetry Circle and have made my Front Page pick.  This was an interesting challenge, having been away from the site for so long, I had to slog through quite a bit of Editor's picks poems, and in the interest of time, titles were everything as I sought out my choice.

I loved the simple, blue-collar language of the title, an unusual title that would have stopped me in any journal or review.  And the poem didn't disappoint either, from 'P-burg' to 'boast of muscle' and spelling Massachusetts (which ultimately made me laugh through the comments about spelling 'lightning/lightening'), this poem just sang for me.

If I were to offer any critique at this point, Donna, it would be those last two lines.  I'm a sucker for the final quip in a poem, god knows I've done it enough in my own work, but in this case, I felt these two lines diminished the poems overall strength, somehow cheapened the poem, like you were going for a last laugh that wasn't needed.  The reader was already smiling.

Tim

Congrats, Donna! Good to read this again. Tom

dear Donna

glad to find this poem here and glad to find Timothy back here as well.


for my ear and my 95 North life experience....

...i would prefer instead

Rhode Island swells with fog
from Pawcatuck to Providence


today i send smiles from NJTPK exit 8
just drove down yesterday from Providence

the view from the Tappan Zee Bridge was wonderful

silent lotus

Great choice!

loved from frist read and am very pleased to see this poem chosen for Front Page

congratulations!

Stella

the string of red pearls image came to me unbidden while watching traffic the other night.  That's the test for me of a great image -- one that takes on a life of its own.

Rick