Misplaced Meandering
I’m asking you who is not lost in this life––
which child or mother or husband or wife––
our direction determined by machines and signs
that know our direction, but not our designs?
I think I’d prefer a simpler way
where I could just drift through each hour and day
turning right at the blue house, then going by guesses
without Google maps or those damn GPS’s.
Remember when maps could be lifted and folded?
If you were berated, corrected or scolded,
your wife was the one who said you’d gone wrong,
not a voice from your dash interrupting the song––
“Long Way Home” on your player, crooned by Tom Waits––
as your TomTom says you’ve gone through too many gates.
No more do we lollygag, detour or amble.
We can’t program Garmin to dawdle or ramble.
Lost in our motor home, lost in our car
though we know precisely just where we are.
Lost in our lives, no direction our own
with nüvi on our dashboard and Waze on our phone.
They point us in their choice of route and direction
while never inquiring of our predilection
for scenery, museums, or byways or diners.
When spontaneity beckons, they are decliners.
Remember those trips when you were a kid
when your dad would pull over whenever you bid,
take off on a side road to see what was there
and wend this way and that way with nary a care?
Now that sort of journey is bound to excite me,
but to take off today with these systems to fight me?
The thought of their voices is bound to incite me
to turn them all off and scream, “You can just bite me!”
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 
Oh Lordy!!! I just love this, Judy! My dad was just like that. I especially love, “that know our direction, but not our designs?” Great one!!!
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Wonderful poem, Judy. Though I must admit TomTom has helped me out when I’m in the city and not sure where to go. Having no sense of direction, I do appreciate help!!
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I do remember life without Garmin, and our family trips were perfectly charmin! 🙂 Great verse Judy. You are describing the downside of technology.
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The sad thing is that trying to negotiate the roads when I drove to the states last year without Garmin was impossible. My sister insisted I take her extra and it saved me!
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In the mountains there are few options for meandering but on the prairies all roads go somewhere!
Sent from my iPad
>
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Perhaps that is why I like meandering so much. It was what we did most Sundays when I was in high school. We got into my little red stick-shift galaxy and explored the prairie roads. Good insight, Ted.
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Oh, I love this poem! It’s thought-provoking and funny, full of wisdom and humor, full of the perfect Judy Dykstra-Brown way of seeing the world and life.
And I agree with you, all the way!
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Thanks so much Dreamer. As I said to Lily, I needed this today…
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My pleasure!
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