asphalt ribbons by Lee Clark Zumpe

asphalt ribbons

Lee Clark Zumpe

slender asphalt ribbons tying here
          [to there]
on rain-swept summer Sundays.

shallow oceans of uninspiring gray sky
colonizing empty patches between
neon tubes barking
          **VACANCY**
and the nervous breakdown
always one bus stop down
the road where you falter and,
scraping your chest to find a voice,
you blurt out a familiar string of words,
how much for a one-night single.

fishing through wadded tissue paper
in your purse for loose change:
vending machine cuisine.

each mile that falls behind promises freedom.
each mile that lies ahead intimidates.

the highway nomad can’t stand still


About the Author

Lee Clark Zumpe has been writing and publishing horror, dark fantasy and speculative fiction since the late 1990s. His short stories and poetry have appeared in a variety of publications such as Weird Tales, Space and Time and Dark Wisdom; and in anthologies such as Corpse Blossoms, Best New Zombie Tales Vol. 3, Steampunk Cthulhu and World War Cthulhu. His work has earned several honorable mentions in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror collections. An entertainment columnist with Tampa Bay Newspapers, Lee has penned hundreds of film, theater and book reviews and has interviewed novelists as well as music industry icons such as Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains and Alan Parsons. His work for TBN has been recognized repeatedly by the Florida Press Association, including a first-place award for criticism in the 2013 Better Weekly Newspaper Contest. Lee lives on the west coast of Florida with his wife and daughter. Visit www.leeclarkzumpe.com.