The Alabama alarm clock

Engulfed in
a round of prattle after
work in Memphis all weekend

we hadn't realized
our approach of the state line,
until my sudden jump
of adrenaline & breathing,
egging on the inquiry:
'is this Iuke
or is this Cherokee, cuz
these still be Mississippi roads'

then we saw those Alabama
hills & trees, w/
a dip
in the energy of
prattle
&
otherwise