Pot holed parking lot
Mostly pick ups
Big rigs at the back
Neon Bud Lite
Buzzing in the night
Through the squeaky front door
Low light from a wagon wheel
Hung on the smoke
Hung on the smoke
Sawdust on the floor
Old wooden bar
Decorated with bottle rings
Crude carvings aged by decades
Two stools sat grizzled locals
Nursing beer and conversation
Been running freight lanes
For weeks at a time
But at the end of it all
The circle stops here
And the cherry lipped blonde
Singing sad country songs
On the tired wooden stage
Old wooden bar
Decorated with bottle rings
Crude carvings aged by decades
Two stools sat grizzled locals
Nursing beer and conversation
Been running freight lanes
For weeks at a time
But at the end of it all
The circle stops here
And the cherry lipped blonde
Singing sad country songs
On the tired wooden stage
I can see that old bar with its nicked counter, shabby seats and worn stage. The sad country songs would be perfect in such a place.
ReplyDeletelove this, I can picture the whole scene -- I almost feel like it's an opening scene for a movie as the trucker walks in because the movement and visuals feel so strong.
ReplyDelete(Thanks for visiting on my sis LuckyHiro's poem on Wilds of Idaho!)
And the cherry lipped blonde
ReplyDeleteSinging sad country songs
On the tired wooden stage
At the end of the journey some pleasant diversions are most welcomed. Wonderful write Robert!
Hank
this is incredibly atmospheric - having danced and dallied in a few truck stops along the way, you've captured what so many of the "older ones" are like, the non-franchised ones - and yes, so many stories to tell, to listen for and too - and yet, for as "tired" as this is, in regards to the sense of being tired after a shift, and/or pulling in to rest - and seeing both familiar faces and strangers, there is a wonderful energy that is imparted to us, the readers .... I really like this - it's like reading or revisiting a worn but faithful map that safely gets you home.
ReplyDeletethe independent truck stops are fading ... not many left anymoe
Deletewell, I suppose in some ways, it is both good and bad - but then, apart from the days shifting gears, and products being different, the one constant is the job - the necessity of it - for all that we rely on in our day-to-day lives ... and how so many do this work, with little thought or gratitude, in often horrible conditions and certainly dangerous places
Deletevery true willow... in some ways it is more dangerous today the days of truckers helping truckers is almost gone...the traffic is worse... and the hurdles to be an independent operator are much greater
DeleteVery vivid description of the bar, Robert
ReplyDeleteMuch love
Excellent descriptive language here....
ReplyDeleteVivid description of grizzled locals and cherry lipped blonde singing. Your great images capture the scene.Loved it.
ReplyDeleteYou have described it perfectly...especially the wagon wheel, "hung on the smoke."
ReplyDelete