Lines On A Map Poem by Edward Punales

He felt stuck,
In the middle of a city or town,
Suffocated by its history
Its culture,
Trapped behind its taboos,
Not getting its in-jokes,
Forced to go along,
With whatever the people there were doing.

But the highways were different.

In the seat of a car,
Traveling down those lines on a map between cities,
Hedged in by wilderness on both sides of the road,
Eating fast food,
Sleeping in cheesy motels,
Exploring cheesier tourist traps,
He felt free,
Unashamed,
Un-judged.

He felt at home.