It’s Google Maps that guides us down
this solitary road on our
journey from Portland to
the Oregon Coast.

It is narrow and it twists
through darkness and gloom.
Huge moss-covered fir branches stretch above,
blocking the sparkle of the sun.

We pass decaying farmhouses and
I look away,
determined to avoid the certain plight
of the farm animals.

But there is no avoiding
the smell of decay or the disturbing
scenes of personal landfills, topped with
couches and cars.

Still, the natural beauty here mixes
with the eerie loneliness and
the rusty “no trespassing” signs call to me,
promising days without interaction.

It is tempting to embrace
this remote chasm,
to lock ourselves away from
the chaos and suffering of our planet.

But, finally, the road empties into the highway,
plunging us back into light,
and we are relieved and grateful
to be back in the known, uncertain world.