Ohio to Oregon

It’s a long drive,
From Ohio to Oregon.
There’s beautiful scenery,
Monuments and the sky--
Places I’ve been beyond,
Seen sights that had meaning…

Hidden mountains and rolling haystacks,
Kept my eyes on a stare,
Before me was miles of highway,
Made me wish I could turn back,
But beautiful sunrises made me less scared,
Made my heart dive and sway,
Warm summer nights made me remember…

I missed the warmth of my family,
I felt the need to turn around,
But home was a long way back,
From that little Nebraskan valley--
Oregon, I thought, will be abound,
As I drove through Wyoming’s pass,

I took the high road as planned,
Through Iowa, Illinois and Indiana,
Utah seemed like nothing--
Soon I saw the Idaho sand,
As I coasted beside the River of Columbiana,
Approaching the mountains got me wondering…
Am I almost there?

Over the dessert land and hills,
I kept driving the same pace,
Hope started to mount in my mind,
Reaching Oregon seemed like a big thrill,
The cabbage hill before me became a dragon’s face,
Looked like a demon in disguise…

One spontaneous glance around--
My eyes were completely exposed,
I held tight to the steering wheel,
While my heart was plummeting down
I took very deep breaths; to the occasion I rose,
Soon I was at the landing’s heel--
No holds barred from there…

I raced towards the Oregon coast,
The speed limit was lower,
My pulse was still going;
I knew I had the right to boast,
My pace was much slower--
Soon, Oregon, I would be approaching.

Six hours had gone,
I finally got there,
Said good-bye to Ohio--
This was my song.
Loving the west coast was fair,
It was my Shiloh…
But I vowed, never to take that drive again!