Birdman of the highway,
flying through the night,
where days dissolve
and sunsets fold -
where ocean stars ignite,
through roads that snake
in a club striptease,
over champagne lakes
in a cocaine breeze,
as fast lanes flock
to casino hills,
the mountains rock
the backseat thrills,
birdman of the highway,
flying through the night,
where days dissolve
and sunsets fold -
where ocean stars ignite,
through cocktail shakes
in tequila seas,
as the city bakes
the street girls please,
over lit-up clocks
and fairground shrills,
the prison blocks
are popping pills,
birdman of the highway,
flying through the night,
where days dissolve
and sunsets fold -
where ocean stars ignite,
the cat pimps chew on fat cigars,
the foxes in the ghetto croon,
the carpets laid for movie stars
are chewed up in the rat monsoon,
the hurricane
it stirred so well,
the whisky rain
and the ice hotel,
birdman of the highway,
flying through the night,
where days dissolve
and sunsets fold -
where ocean stars ignite,
the night owl serenades the scars,
of moonlit lizards in desert dunes,
the rabbits shoot at speeding cars,
the bats rap to the nightclub tunes,
the riot flames
they cry farewell,
the mob that shamed
have smoked in hell,
birdman of the highway,
flying through the night,
where days dissolve
and sunsets fold -
where ocean stars ignite.
Birdman of the Highway
Stephen Philip Druce is a poet from Shrewsbury in the UK. He is published in the UK, the USA, Hungary, Ireland, India, Canada and South Africa. Stephen has also written for London theater plays and BBC Radio 4 Extra. Contact him on Instagram - @StephenPhilipDruce