Monday, September 29, 2008

Love this one!

A favorite of mine from childhood. Hope you enjoy it as well.

Southbound on the Freeway by May Swenson:

A tourist came in from Orbitville,
parked in the air, and said:

The creatures of this star
are made of metal and glass.

Through the transparent parts
you can see their guts.

Their feet are round and roll
on diagrams--or long

measuring tapes--dark
with white lines.

They have four eyes.
The two in the back are red.

Sometimes you can see a 5-eyed
one, with a red eye turning

on the top of his head.
He must be special-

the others respect him,
and go slow,

when he passes, winding
among them from behind.

They all hiss as they glide,
like inches, down the marked

tapes. Those soft shapes,
shadowy inside

the hard bodies--are they
their guts or their brains?

2 comments:

Lynn Bruce said...

that's terrific! thanks for sharing.

Owl of the Desert said...

Haha, I love this one. I remember when you came home from school and shared it with me.