Billboards by Joanne Faries

inviting messages register
tires churn, chew miles
we can’t

............Stop

we log miles, gallons, miles per gallon, speed, drive time and dollars
dollars spent on sodas, water, Snickers bars, and soggy fries
quick stops to use the rest room, stretch our legs
inhale exhaust fumes, eye other travelers, grateful to not be
stuck with a fussy baby or sullen teen
study our maps, evaluate route,
consult watches, as if it mattered
change out cds, re-fasten seatbelts

we log more miles, more gallons, and raise our average speed by one
one more mile per gallon because we did not

........................Stop

to see the caverns
we missed the caverns
we didn’t turn around
the billboards begged us to enter the caverns
wished us a pleasant trip
to come back to the caverns

we can’t

.............................................................Stop


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Joanne Faries, originally from the Philadelphia area, lives in Texas with her husband Ray. Published in Doorknobs & Bodypaint, Off the Coast, Orange Room Review, and Salome Magazine. Joanne is the film critic for the Little Paper of San Saba.