Paving North Georgia

Driving up 575 north to Ellijay
Christmas morning
and they emerged in the rearview,
a neon green armada.
They kept tight ranks,
with three in the left lane
and three in the right,
hauling who knows how many tons
of liquid civilization.

After I turned off the highway
just past the first Burger King after the Sam's Club,
across from the Waffle House but before the Hardee's,
I watched them roll on,
like giant robotic mollusks from some midnight sci-fi flick,
off to pour more driveways and parking lots.

What good's a mountain view
if you haven't got anyplace to shop?