Lines on a Map

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He felt stuck,
In the middle of a city or town,
Suffocated by its history,
Its culture,
Trapped behind its taboos,
Not getting its in-jokes,
Forced to go along,
With whatever the people there were doing.

But the highways were different.

In the seat of a car,
Traveling down those lines on a map between cities,
Hedged in by wilderness on both sides of the road,
Eating fast food,
Sleeping in cheesy motels,
Exploring cheesier tourist traps,
He felt free,
Unashamed,
Unjudged.

He felt at home.