The road

All I know is that I can
usually see what’s coming down the road
even from a different state
on a different back road
even when the highways and biways and intersections blur

so I saw this
back that cold November night by the southern theater
neon sweatpants and sober
by accident we converge

listen
when the road calls you must
answer — this is the part
I have taught myself well

I traced your future from laughlines
to collarbones

palm lines
to the soundtrack of heartbeats
down a treasure trail
your fast moving feet
backtrack to
white lines on table tops
cutting words
lines of lies and dead ends of truth
you were fleeing when we met
decades later
too

notice
notices posted
no trespassing

here our footprints align
Doc Martens and what
are these
Crocs?