Autumn Ride by Linda Golden

Road trips used to start in Friday rush hour traffic
Now we leave midday and meander up the coast
My husband and I pack the dog in her backseat hammock
She's asleep in five minutes, cozy in the knowledge
She is not vet bound or being left behind
Pacific Coast Highway undulates north past
Malibu sparkling in ocean's fall luminescence
Pelicans swoop in ribbons reflected in a glassy sea
Hills dotted with green shrubs, spring grasses dried
In summer sun, wax golden, pampas flags wave

Family awaits us hours north, the journey full of oldies
Sung out loud, mostly off key, many pit stops,
Many cookies, a greasy hamburger or two
The dog starts backseat pacing as the freeway exit nears
She knows where we are headed
Here the trees are putting on their heady show
Bursts of vermillion, burnt umber, citrus hues
Fill streets, hillsides, getting ready for Halloween

Grandkids pile out of the house followed by their parents
Bags and boxes flow to the house by many hands
Treats distributed, it's time for hot chocolate and bed
Morning comes with a knock on the bedroom door
The morning chill fills the room, kids clamber into bed
All of us under piles of comforters, the dog too
We talk of plans for costumes, which store to gather supplies
How many pumpkins, candles, more hot chocolate
Not even the jack-o-lanterns have bigger smiles