Hill is the author of a poetry collection, has published widely in literary journals, and is an editor for a university publications department. In the following essay, Hill addresses Swenson's use of humor to make a very serious point about American culture in the age of technology.

The humor in May Swenson's "Southbound on the Freeway" is unmistakable, but so too should be the seriousness of the poem's central concern regarding modern humans' dependency on technology and machinery—the automobile in particular. Hardly anyone would deny that Americans love their cars, relying on them for pleasure trips and unmapped adventures, as well as for more practical purposes such as getting to work or traveling for business or important personal reasons. But there may be a darker side to this seemingly wholesome, progressive, even natural human appreciation of technological advancements. "Southbound on the Freeway" addresses the more dubious...