Liminal Highway by John K. Samson

Liminal Highway by John K. Samson 

when you fall asleep in transit 
you rarely wake up much closer 
to where you want to be 
and you’ve missed the song 
you were waiting to hear 
coming up after the ad for a 
funeral home and the traffic and weather 
in a town you’ll never live in 

or even see now that you’ve passed it 
in a dream you don’t recall 

and you know there is a word 
for those seconds between 
consciousness and sleep where you 
have arrived at your destination 
accomplished your tasks and 
concurrently settled into a 
big old house that needs some work 
next to the funeral home 
with some endlessly interesting and 
kind person you love unflinchingly 

and traffic is moving well 
weather is fair 

you think that word might be “liminal” 
but you are not certain so you don’t 
mention it to the driver who’s name 
you cannot remember 

though you likely know him 
as well as you know anyone 

and you are so weary 
with loitering between here 
and there then and then 
beauty and function you wish 
you were a three hole punch 
sleek shiny black and a 
mysteriously pleasant weight 
assisting children with their 
school presentations while 
slowly stockpiling confetti 
for no particular occasion 

just some average day 
suddenly it is needed