Destination

 When I hitched rides around the country 

I waited

Rarely with patience

I desperately wanted a ride

I can't fully articulate 

The intensity of that desperate urge

It consumed my mind

As if wanting it harder

Would manifest my desire 

Often patience only arrived

When the desperation had engulfed everything 

More often I just started walking

The urgent calling of my destination

Propelled me forward 

Every time a car pulled over

Hope and gratitude overwhelmed me

It became a drug

Over time the destination took a back seat

To the addiction

The desperate longing

Relieved by overwhelming gratitude 

I'd fantasize that I'd meet 

The love of my life

She'd pull over

And take me home

And I'd never need another ride again

I'd be saved from desperation by love

By bliss

Now as I sit here

Reflecting on all the rides

All the destinations

I become aware of that final destination 

That place we all go

The destiny and fate 

Shared by every living being

And realize

That last ride

Will be a hearse

I won't wait for it patiently