Right, right, left
right, right, enter
into a skinny country lane
The family wagon inches along
bump by bump under the canopy of trees
jarring sharp mindfulness  

Others have traversed this pea gravel
with its muddy canyons
bits of broken pavement
bringing a range of history
On every occasion the tired bumpy drive welcomes
the voyager and invites her story to come along  

She allows each abrupt thump
to bounce another worry from her 

Soon a thousand cares once trapped by tension’s spun web
spring loose from sticky chaos
Thoughts transition free as a breezy
hammock stretched between two trees  

Rest, renewal, retreat
and every single mile traveled before and after that
is part of her story—
the smooth course
rocky places
nooks and crannies of her murky depths
and her shattered fragments—
all part of the same road  

Narrow is the way
full of mishaps and missteps
She drives on little by little with the occasional
stop to stretch out in a hammock