Billboards and Traffic Signs

The endless ribbon unrolls... ever present, unbroken
Moving towards and away, grey worn to black,
I keep my eyes on the road just like I've been told to
Billboards and traffic signs to the front and the back
Stop, Yield, Keep Right, Caution, Danger, Food and Gas, Triple-X... exit 35A
Pressure builds, am I finally breaking? But I'm blown clear of that up and away

Like a leaf caught on the wind
Of the world but pulling from in it
From this terrifying new height
I see the world has wider limits

The unyielding veneer, severe as a ruler, the passing world rises like weeds
Tossing out the map isn't easy, get me off of this road, and further from its debris.
So many people driving by seem to miss it, air-conditioned, seatbelted, safe
Moving fast from one point to another, mistaking the road for the place

Like a leaf caught on the wind
Of the world but high above it
And there are far more meaningful paths
Though few can see or even admit it

Unaccustomed eyes focus beyond the blacktop
To the deep-breathing distance, expanding sunlit and free.
Dirt roads curve with the land reaching past the horizon
And I feel the strongest pull to see where they lead me

Life a leaf caught on the wind
Of the world but no longer in it
And if there's no road where I want to go
Then I can just press on without it