Kansas is a long flat drive,
but not as flat as Nebraska.

It is torture in a borrowed car
with a broken radio and no AC.

But it gives me the chance
to sing all the Peter Paul & Mary songs

I remember from those folky days
when I ignored the Beatles.

A study on billboard art
proved an interesting research paper

and so did the different ways
hitchhikers hold their thumbs.

You can imagine
how the engine strains

doing ninety on the interstate
elevating to the Rockies

or enjoying the gravity-payback
and extra miles per gallon

descending toward the Mississippi
and Saint Louis.

copyright © 2021 Kenneth P. Gurney