Satori

Driving through the black night
On the parkway, somewhere in Virginia
He thought back on the look on his mother-in-law's face,
Her cheeks wet, reflecting the light of the television
Was it a game show or the news
Reporting on a civil war time capsule unearthed?
He thought back on the instant she heard
Her little girl would be leaving in the new year.
He considered this moment and knew
He had experienced an incontestable surge of love.
What's more, he knew that he had become ingrained,
Entangled in the web of love that is family
And it gave him a sense of comfort as he switched on his blinkers,
Glided into the other lane and merged onto the highway ramp
To drive north towards his childhood home.

He looked at the lights of the trucks
Passing below and reflected on their beauty
Aside from greens and reds of the dashboard,
It was completely dark in the car's cabin
And something was playing low on the radio.
He thought about how strange it was
That he had never been able to appreciate
All that rusted steel and light hurling through the blackness.
This observation made him feel warm inside
And he realized he had progressed in some way.

He could never make sense of how it fit within the big picture
But it was enough to have added another pin on the map
He lingered in this heady buzz sent to him from some higher plane
And focused all of his energy on staying in this moment
He was so caught up in the magic of it all that he didn't even notice
The high beams of the beautiful 18-wheeler
As he veered into the next lane.