How to Take a Road Trip – Mary Christine Delea

First, decide if you are an ocean person—

Highway 101—

an inland person—Route 66—

a person who needs to be

somewhere fast—I-95—

or a person with no place to go—

U. S. 83, The Road to Nowhere

The destination doesn’t matter,

philosophers say. It’s how you get

there that counts, there being death

and right now, all you want

is to get in your car and drive somewhere.

If you’re interested in happiness,

try Carefree, AZ;

Okay, AR;Little Heaven, DE; or What Cheer, IA.

Remember, these are just places.

They are not guarantees of joy in your life.

If you get stuck on Confusion Hill,

in Uncertain, TX,

on the Lost Highway,

or in the Trees of Mystery,

stop by Eureka, CA for insight.

But keep going—road trips aren’t

for staying too long someplace.

If you believe joy is found in wealth,

try Gold Beach, OR or

Money Creek, MN. If your heart is set

on romance, try Valentine, NE

or Loving, NM.

Don’t settle for Okay, Oklahoma

or Hurt, Virginia. Have the confidence of

Superior, WY; Bosstown, WI;

and Neversink, NY and keep driving.

Please do not take this advice to mean

that you need to go forward

in a specific way. Be happy that you

are headed somewhere,

ignorant of what is to come.

However, if you are looking for insight

into your future, head to Cassadaga, Florida,

home to the highest number of psychics

and mediums in the United States.

Mary Christine Delea is a former university professor with a Ph.D. in English/Creative Writing. Her publications include 1 full-length book, 3 chapbooks, and poems in myriad journals and anthologies. Recent publications include The Remington Review, The Comstock Review, The Hollins Critic, and Broad River Review. She is currently working on more book manuscripts and editing a poetry anthology.