the crust of a planet - part two

along the wooded hills of the South we carve long corridors
for our power lines, the grassy pencil marks through the geography,
the graphite that links our spaced cultures.

electricity takes the shortest distance, but highways wander
at an engineer's whim and follow hillsides for the view.

between Purcell and Lexington, 77 is a bridge
cleaner than the mud and river it spans, and riding its correct latitude.

and we fight with nature to prove there are four cardinal directions
but water doesn't mind direction, only height and temperature.
we are laying our graph paper over ink blots and wax drops.