Tish Davis

Road Trip

Fifty-three feet . . . 

Dad repeats fifty-three feet after reading the stenciled marking on the side of passing semi-trucks. Fifty-three feet . . .  fifty-three feet . . . 

We finally stop at his favorite restaurant, but the menu has changed. He enunciates each variation of the egg. 

We’re a long way from the Black River, far from what was once the steel plant’s open hearths, far from the winged dragons who daily darkened the cerulean sky with thick orange smoke rings.

ridged edges
on his X-ray—

fifty-three
blue hydrangeas
in the clinic's courtyard

In loving memory of my stepfather, Gene

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About the Author

Tish Davis lives in Northern Ohio. Her tanka and related forms have appeared in numerous online and print publications. When she isn’t busy with work and grandchildren she enjoys exploring the local parks with her husband and three dogs.