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Easy Rider

by Francisca Matos

Film still from Easy Rider. A man in a leather jacket with an American flag on the back looks out onto the mountainside.

—A man went looking for America. And couldn’t find it anywhere.
when did you notice      was it early in the journey
what gave it away      was it the planes      splitting
the tarmac in half      because I hear them      all the time
they sound the same way      the air tastes sometimes
thick with promise      like something is coming
when you cast off your watch      jumped on your bike
the metal glinting in the desert      I didn’t laugh
I took it seriously      sometimes      I am committed
to the metaphor too      your friend is running loose
my friends are dreaming      I’m trying to enjoy myself
what else can I do      but trust the seasons      naturally
this is easier said than done      you know this better than me
you kept going      you made it just in time for the party
so I kept going      trampled over July like I wanted to win it
and in the end      there was nothing      what I’m trying to say is
we all went looking      some of us      are still looking

—A man went looking for America. And couldn’t find it anywhere.
when did you notice      was it early in the journey
what gave it away      was it the planes      splitting
the tarmac in half      because I hear them      all the time
they sound the same way      the air tastes sometimes
thick with promise      like something is coming
when you cast off your watch      jumped on your bike
the metal glinting in the desert      I didn’t laugh
I took it seriously      sometimes      I am committed
to the metaphor too      your friend is running loose
my friends are dreaming      I’m trying to enjoy myself
what else can I do      but trust the seasons      naturally
this is easier said than done      you know this better than me
you kept going      you made it just in time for the party
so I kept going      trampled over July like I wanted to win it
and in the end      there was nothing      what I’m trying to say is
we all went looking      some of us      are still looking