Our new motorway

is a cross-country fort

and we reinforcements

speed between earthworks

water-sumps and counterscarps,

breaking out on wide glimpses,

flying the overpasses –

Little paper lanterns

march up and down dirt,

wrapped round three chopsticks

plastic shrub-guards grow bushes

to screen the real bush,

to hide the old towns

behind sound-walls and green –

Wildlife crossings underneath

the superglued pavement

are jeep size; beasts must see

nature restart beyond.

The roads are our nature

shining beyond delay,

fretting to race on –