to Planet Earth
I’ve trekked across
this treacherously
gorgeous country,
from coast to coast
or so (relishing each
of the contiguous 48
states; the majority
of them on several
occasions), I sup
pose, if all told, 5
times, and that’s
not counting the
dozen or so that
I’ve traveled at
least across 3/4
stretches made
for visiting home
from the upper
midwest, from
boston and from
san francisco, or
visits to dad’s fam
ily in detroit grow
ing up, or our vac
ation to the nation’s
capitol in 1976 or to
california about 5 years
later. but those 5 full
stretches from the at
lantic to the pacific and
back, only one of them
by airplane, once (and
only one way) in a u-
haul truck by way of
a series of motel 6’s,
and thrice by train,
all the way there
and back, which is
my favorite way that
I’ve ever traveled (a
cross land, at any rate),
and I am here to tell
you that this land,
the land which we
call ours, the land of
the entire world, as
experienced thus far
by these eyes, by all
of the senses, can be so
godawful flat and vast and
boring at times, sure, but
not only is there a won
drous beauty in all of
that vast, boring flat
ness, but when that
terrain gets divided
up, for example by
such varied magni
ficences as the oz
arks, the ouachitas,
the appalachians, the
rockies, the rolling hills
of utah or the endless
mountainous highways
in vermont, the grand
canyon, the metropol
ises and the two-dog
towns, or great nation
al parks like yosemite
and yellowstone, each
of these are wonders to
behold again and again.
there is a deep, mesmeric
beauty in all of it – a texture
and a unique history and a
gorgeousness in every step
or mile or parcel of land on
which you might have found
yourself, whether it be only
once ever, or dozens of
times, be they long or
short bouts studied,
deciphered, and then,
remembered, and I can’t
imagine a square inch
of it to which I would
not return, happily, to
take it all in once again,
to dive ever deeper within
(the great lakes, the creek
banks and riverbanks, the
ponds and the swimming
or fishing lakes that some
times seem to take up most
of whatever great state in which
which they are gloriously embed
ded). and while, for various harsh
reasons, I haven’t driven out of
this city in which I love and have
lived for twenty-two years for
over 7 years now, and although
I lost, before my 50th year
had passed, every single
material item that I called
my own or decided to keep
in my possession nonetheless,
from year to year to year, what
a resounding privilege to have been
so very and variously transported
from the pacific to the atlantic
and back again, etc., the sum
of each and every moment
of every single mile traveled
has been the greatest of
blessings I’ve beheld.
and I shall return,
I have no doubt,
shall plot that
course again
and put that
plot to action,
of course. and
you can bet
that I’ll
be doing
it yet again –
and I won’t
stop at that,
either. and
it’s going
to be soon!
