Life Along an American Highway

Two lanes this way, two lanes that
More worn in one direction
A long grassy median with parallel frontage roads on with side,
A neglected carcass spread over a remarkable distance
Faded billboards, advertising long gone businesses, bake in the sun

Glimmers of development appear on the horizon, hidden from view
Unlucky dwellings exposed to ignoring travelers
With simple numbers 132, 49, 6
On high numbered streets 157th, 189th, 302nd
Nicer homes, unfortunate and repetitive
Manicured and maintained by ignorant occupants
Unaware the war was lost years ago.
Poorer homes, no better than abandon
With overgrown lawns and bushes cloaking neglected facades
Mobile home parks, some looking nicer but none of them really are
No cheerfulness, no one overjoyed
Cheap hanging flower baskets, band aids on a gunshot wound
Depressed farms beyond their expiration date, dense with dilapidation
Butted against the new medical center, its savior's promise unfulfilled
Once grand mansions, broken down and crumbling,
Their lots picked apart like crows on a smudge,
Lost grandeur, obscured by slapped together residences, glorified shanties
Country music, pickup trucks, worn people, bikes, leather and tattoos

Eking out an existence on the periphery
Guns, bait and boats, colossal liquor outlets
Super centers and 3/4ths empty strip malls, well beyond their heyday
Churches that were once banks, garden centers which were once family eateries
Tractor dealers, RV sellers, and storage facilities
Four bowling alleys, only two operational
The other two's parking lots thick with tall weeds
Stand alone chain restaurants
1930's buildings, built with the promise of long term growth
Most long vacated with heads hanging low
A lucky few with renters who agree to fix them up themselves.
The auto mechanic next to the daycare next to the closed video store
Movie posters threadbare and discolored, advertising long forgotten fare
Junk yards and auto dumping grounds
A brand new chain auto parts store,
Surrounded by discarded businesses and discarded land;
The only lights shining on the somber block

And the constant dull hum of conveyance whisking by