I’m Riding the Highway

Riding the Highway

Highway

I’m riding the highway

Leaving my old life and troubles behind.

Knockers and neigh-sayers fall in my wake,

For I have a new frame of mind.

 

Eyes firmly fixed on the long road ahead,

No looking back or regrets.

I’ve waited so long to get to this point,

Now I’ve paid off all of my debts.

 

So out of my way, you can’t hold me back,

I’m free for the first time in life.

In a fitted out bus with all that we need,

This adventure I share with my wife.

 

We’ll pack what we need for a month on the road

And take our three dogs along too.

We’ll go where we want and stop where we must,

To realise this dream we stayed true.

 

“It’s crazy!” you say, “to leave all you know,

Your home and secure way of life.”

But each day is a risk from the time you are born,

Like walking the edge of a knife.

 

An adventure awaits around every bend,

We have plans but they’re not set in stone.

So let the road lead us to places unknown,

As a couple, we are never alone.

 

This beautiful land beckons us on,

The diversity something to see.

We’ll drive across desert and spinifex plains,

And through rainforest bordering the sea.

 

So wish us fair well on our journey ahead,

Shed a sad tear if you must,

But you have to make changes, and go where you’re led.

This brave move is the right one I trust.

 

While I’m away I’ll take pen in hand

To write about things that I see,

Places and people and landscapes and such,

It will set my poetic words free.

 

by John Hansen © 2017

 

 

 

 

 

John Hansen
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John Hansen

Longtime poet but not in the traditional technical sense. I enjoy rhyme but like to experiment and dabble in many different forms and maybe even make up some of my own. There is always a message or lesson I want to promote through my writing, for that reason, my poetry generally shies away from the abstract and obscure. After a lot of procrastinating I have finally self-published my first eBook of poetry "I Laughed a Smile" at Lulu.com. Now I find myself branching out and experimenting with short fiction. I have also been fortunate to have two poems chosen to be made into songs and recorded. The first "On the Road to Kingdom Come" by Al Wordlaw, and the second, "If I Could Write a Love Poem" by award-winning Israeli/British singer Tally Koren. I am also finding my services increasingly in demand as a freelance writer and I have ghost-written the text for a number of children's books and educational tutorials. It has taken me many years of searching and restlessness to realise that my life's passion is to write. It saddens me that I wasted so many years not devoting to that, but thinking positively, the experiences gained over those years are now wonderful material for my stories and poems. I want to try to bring a new focus on poetry and try to make it appealing to a new generation of young people and those who thought they never liked or understood it before.

12 thoughts on “I’m Riding the Highway

  • January 28, 2017 at 12:53 AM
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    You express my feelings so well I just love road trip long, short and in-between. Loved your expressive poetry. My one big dream is to someday travel across my homeland the U.S.A.

  • January 28, 2017 at 1:52 AM
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    Thanks for your kind comment, Rasma. I am glad that my words expressed similar feelings to your own desire to travel across the USA. I sincerely hope you get to make your own dream come true.

  • January 28, 2017 at 8:48 AM
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    Live everyday to the fullest. Your words ring true to me. When get to the point of being debt free, i will be setting off to places unknown, exploring the majesty of this earth. My only wish is that, myself and my wife make it to that point, healthy and happy. Great piece John a good life you have to look forward to.~Paul

  • January 28, 2017 at 1:23 PM
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    I am glad you can relate to this Paul. We couldn’t afford an expensive RV/motor home but this should do us for now. A lot of people have this dream for when they retire, I hope you and your wife get to realise it. Cheers.

  • January 28, 2017 at 8:43 PM
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    What a wonderful wish to come true John..traveling through the winding roads, seeing new places and getting to know different people and above all gathering memories to be cherished forever are what we all wish to do at some point of our lives , I guess..So happy that you achieved this dream and hope you and your wife enjoy each and every minute of your trip..Enjoyed this lovely write and thank you for sharing..

  • January 28, 2017 at 9:50 PM
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    Thank you, Anjana. Your comment said it all. We are looking forward to the adventure and adding a whole new list of memories to those we already have. Glad you enjoyed this poem.

  • January 29, 2017 at 3:09 AM
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    I love road trip across the USA….. adventure awaits us all over the next hill…love this John

  • January 29, 2017 at 3:38 AM
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    Thank you for reading and commenting, Kurt. It doesn’t matter what part of the world we live, there are always road trips and adventures to be had.

  • July 7, 2017 at 3:34 PM
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    Hi John , I guess I missed this one . I hope that trip of yours is on for a while , We too will be leaving in one week for an eight or a ten week across America camping trip , We both retired this year and are selling our old new england farm house , We hope to do a lot of western USA “boone docking ” , living in the national forest camprounds , I love that bus ! We have a 34 foot tag along trailer , and a Ford F 150 , solar and generator , I’m hoping Im all set up to go , Good luck and have fun on your trips ! On all your journeys !……….Ed

  • July 7, 2017 at 11:40 PM
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    Glad you came across this, Ed. I hope you have a great time “boone docking” and camping across America. It sounds like you are well set up. Our bus needs new batteries as they aren’t holding their charge, but hopefully, there will be another trip on the cards soon.

  • January 14, 2022 at 2:03 PM
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    Can you comment years after a Poem has been written and Published to the Web? I guess that is the ultimate question for those of us who write. I enjoyed this one as you set out for a Journey with your wife for a month…along with the dogs to see what adventure you yearn for. Great Poem about a wonderful topic. Enjoyed it!

  • January 14, 2022 at 2:14 PM
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    Well, you just probed the answer to your question, Steve, by replying to this work which was written five years ago. It was an exciting adventure and I am glad you enjoyed reading about it.

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