a long line from from beechworth (to kyiv)

from beechworth –
where I live –
the road
travels
south

if I drive
out of town
I will go
past
the golden ball bridge

and
the everton roads –
which
are turn-offs –
and then
through tarrawingee

that
is twenty-four
k’s
and a right hand turn

onto the snow road

wangaratta

is at thirty-eight
k’s
but
before that
is a ramp

down
to the freeway

then
we would be
cruising

on a road
that runs
all the way
to melbourne

but
my imagination
is not going
that far

just
to benalla

that’s around about
seventy k’s

and three-quarter
of an hour
to drive

I try
but
I can’t
picture it

I just
can’t picture
those roads
filled
nose-to-nose
for all that distance
by armoured tanks

with bombs
and missiles

and an intent
to surround my town . . .

my beechworth
or benalla
or wangaratta

my wodonga
or albury
or canberra

it is
beyond me

a failure
of my imagination
to fathom

~

Alba Sanz, Atalayar.