Frost Heaves

Weeks of abnormal Arctic cold have turned
the roads here in southern Maine into a choppy sea.

All the way to work, frost heaves fling
my little civic wagon, with its aging suspension,
randomly around the road. I have to keep
my wits about me and both hands on the wheel
to hold my line, to keep my lane, and I feel
the extra strain, across my shoulders and up my
spine, as I jounce and jolt down route nine.

The back roads, I’m sure, are worse,
as full, this season, of unexpected moguls
and jumps as any ski slope, making every
trip to the store an adventure, every errand
a full-body workout. Who needs expensive
lift tickets and health club memberships
when the frost heaves are free...

Which has to be, I would think, one of
the lesser known benefits of life the way
its supposed to be, here in Southern Maine.