The highway looks endless from here
The only paved road for miles around
A black horizon rimmed by black sky riddled with stars
Gives the impression of infinity

The only hint of time and place
Of destination
Are the brightly colored street signs
Throwing back the headlights
Like glittering jewels lining the way to the Emerald City

Distance is distorted
In a night this dark you can see the glow of headlights
A mile before you find the car they belong to

And the gleam of the tiny town
Makes it look like the Promised Land must’ve looked to the Israelites

Quiet and asleep,
The ghosts of the past stand on every street corner
Promises of the future crumble off the ancient buildings
Like old paint

The people here go on forever
Like the highway and prairie and dark night
Even as the city falls down around them
They insist nothing ever changes

Beautiful, unique, peaceful
But slowly fading into the pages of the history books
As time and space march around the pocket of
What once was
And never again will be