The Ecology of Hitchhiking
by Michael Doyle

When you think of it in terms of ecology,
Hitchhiking has very little to do with the economy.
From my own experience, it's about relationships
Perhaps even sometimes about brinksmanship.

The people that are met on the open road
Are full of stories that are dying to be told.
Then again, this reminds me of the danger
That comes with accepting rides from any stranger.

The thing is that if all strangers are friends, unmet,
Are the odds really stacked for or against regret?
For myself, while I have met few with any real glory,
I have never met anyone who picked me up without a story.

It's the heart of life when it comes time to fly,
Very few extended thumbs are not worth the try.
Caught rides when thought of in the collective,
The wide open road tends to add to one's perspective.

Those who have studied the hazards find them few.
The ratio of harm to fun should offer a subtle clue.
But urban myths play it up for the factor of fear,
Most of us would rather emphasize pleasurable cheer.

The cheer of knowing that we truly are not alone,
In-person conversations beat speaking on the phone.
Hitchhiking has had somewhat of a new emergence.
Fellow travelers speak in terms of a resurgence.

Maybe America and its traveling companions can begin
To trust each other and to know each other once again.
Hitching rides with strangers can plant God's seed
Of knowing that trust is as common as we have need.

(c) April 28, 2025   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved