Home on New Year's Eve 2010
by Paul Turner
It was a lark to go from park to 16 hours
On the road under cloud cover and December dark:
To get home before the final day of 2010.
From Knoxville, first 40 miles east,
Then endless north.
We went uphill through seven states.
Despite the roadwork, the Jersey barriers and those narrow lanes,
Despite the break‐neck turns in Connecticut,
We stayed the course, of course uphill,
So much so the elevation in Willimantic should have been mountainous.
We thought, will we ever get to sleep,
Not in ragged layers at Ramadas and Budget Inns,
But in our hillside bed?
Buoyed by tunes, java, laughs, and small breakout sessions,
We arrived around 12:30 am on the final day of 2010,
Then gently turned from 1 am to twenty past seven
In down‐comforter heaven!
Come on 2011.
