Oldtimers Never Leave..

I see the fence
Of rusted steel
Weathered from the sun
The winters past....

The gate
Hanging by the hinge
Blowing slowly
With the winds....

The weeds are high
From years gone by
The tombstones
Showing above
The wildflowers
The prairie grass too....

I walked in
To take a look
Remembering the names I seen...

I see Bob's
Of rusted gray
The writing still crisp
As of the first of days
He was a character
Funny and laxed
Never a better friend
To make you laugh...

As I turn around
I see another...

Phil's I believe
An honest man
As the day was long
To bad to see them
All gone...

Joe was over yonder
Oh what a rascal
He was
Did his days, one day at a time
His life was never a hassle....

Over in the corner
Out of the way
Was Hank
As rusty as an old barbed fence
Crude, as most would say
Not many friends
He just liked it that way
The few he liked
Were friends for life....

I turned to walk back to my trk
Sitting on the road
I looked down
I see a bone
Shoulder bone, flat and whole
Colored from brown, to white
Grey and old....

I picked it up
Cleaned it
Best I could
Put it in a tree
Where it stood
Reminding me
Of the guys I knew
Memories staying
Bones growing old
Never forgetting the stories
That were always told.....



Michael Vandyke @C 2019