separate ways

buy me a car
i'll drive you to Philadelphia

where we'll float
along the Schuylkill
into the hills
high above Manayunk

we'll pitch my tent at Valley Forge
the camp fire will warm us

George Washington slept here
with our nation's flag
sipping coffee near the turnpike
the chocolate donut uneaten in his hand

i'll smoke a pipe in my red robe
you'll answer your cell phone
while the tourist stands on a cannonball
saluting the Revolutionary Army
invading the King of Prussia Mall
pushing their shopping carts
in front of the angry eyes of security

and the car could be any model you choose

a mini or a maxi or a big blue suede Cadillac
with bull horns angled on the front bumper
reminding us of the wide open spaces
long gone

but maybe in our memory

we'll go our own separate ways

i'll pull up my stakes
you'll put on your Indian dress and wear
the feather you found on a nature walk

the Delaware River might be a better place
for me to go, i said

you said i should hurry
the tide was about to change