road

sun intense, wind - terse, magpie on the verge resolves itself into opposing placcie bags - 1 black, 1 white, failing to unite in a league ov their own. pass warning signs: tanks for next 500 yards, pass red flag for live fire, pass listening posts. past edge ov fells, past stainmore caff to the hard hills, past 3 sheepfolds - each a perfect compass. askham oils ov penrith pass, then stalkers - carlisle, bullocks ov cheadle, total logistics from pollock, lakeland commercials, british gypsum, european curry, a fleet ov piggy-backing blue nissans, nicholson international cranes, half biscuits ov mersey, manchester deliveries by noon (or else), john poulson lorries, mobile butcheries, durham county patrol, cumbria sheep. canute distribution, in a livery brilliant with reds & yellows, heads the other way, genst the flow. consett brothers, tarn brothers, hogg & son - cement mixers. where are the sisters ov truck? like thelma & louise, something crossed over in us too. cant go back. since crossing that fine line - thin line - that pennine line - i feel more alive. theres a clarity to north: not just awake, but alive. pain for sure. but tom paine too: he really did build a bridge over the river wear. altho only the memory survives, the memory survives. the length/breadth ov north is the drop ov this backbone. ribs ov A66 are the howl ov ma memory. zapatistas emerging from heather & moor instead ov south-west mexico, would declare ‘we are all northern’: we are all zapatista now. that knot in yr throat - the last reel, end ov film, roll credits. but there are no thelmas or louises on this stretch - just a series ov accumulations