Used
to be
most country roads
were just little winding dirt lanes
that wandered around
between farms and ranches
with no particular purpose
but to let the old man check a fence line
or drink a can of beer
away from the house
weren't no traffic
and nobody
bothered you
you could take your time
and just look
at creeks and fields and cows
and whatever other purdy things showed up
but somewhere along the line
all them roads got widened and paved
and now with all the real farms gone
we are left with only city slickers with
high powered jacked-up pickups
who pretend they are ranchers
what i'm sayin' is
used to be you could go out in the country
and take your time without running into traffic
or bein' runned over
all that has changed for sure
now you have these wannabees ridin' your tailpipe
flashin' their lights and doin' everything they can to pass
they wanna blow you off the road
they're in such a hurry to get somewhere
they're mad that you're in front of them
and just have to get by as if there was some kind of emergency
they flip the bird at you as they fly by
wished it was like it used to be
but that ain't gonna happen no more
there's too damn many people
and too many of them live out in the country
we all suffer for it you know
we have come down with a case of
clogged arteries
and there won't be a cure anytime soon.
© d.knape
September
27, 2016
More "Once Upon A Line" - Light verse
and poetry by d.knape
More Columns
|