Hitchhiking

Don’t do it!
I beg of you
Not with all the creepy crawlers out there
Please don’t.

But back then…
Back then it was different
Back then the itch hit him hard and drew him to the road
It was summer
He hitchhiked from the Midwest
Traveling the dusty plains and craggy mountains
To the west coast City of Angels
Too many people
Heading north along Big Sur and the ocean
Given a slice of homemade bread laced with pot
Unexpectedly high for the first time
A day that lasted forever
All the way to Seattle
So many years ago on the road
A summer of blacktop memories
Stretching across the land
All the way to the sea
And a new far horizon
Waiting patiently
A new dream to follow.