the green hills

i closed my eyes in one world,
and when i opened them,
i did not know if i was asleep
or awake--

[hwy 1 - northern california]

rolling down a highway that's
rolling over hills that are
rolling to the sea,
tossing us around,
as we drive--
the car on these hills: like seals in the surf,
swimming round hills
all covered in ferns and shoots of leaves--
the excitement!
each sprout a neon exclamation point!
new life exhaling the sweetest oxygen...
we were high
so green-- so bright you cannot stare--
so fresh, you feel reborn--
you wonder where you've been all this time--
so far from Eden,
springing to life!

on the hyway--
gray ribbon of asphalt--
dead stone road brings us
in cars made of tin cans
in clothes made of plastic
swaddling naked people,
on the road,
in our shells,
staring out of windows
at the world going by,
in all it's untamed
danger, dirtiness,
freshness and beauty,
all of it--
on the other side of glass

yes, that is where we were:
in tin cages of our design
tourists in Eden
rushing by...
we roll
right on by
through the green fields
we do not stop
we stare from our tin can
cocoon
we dream
in the swaying car
rolling along
we do not stop.
we do not stop for anything.