Login
|
Join PoetrySoup
Home
Submit Poems
Login
Sign Up
Member Home
My Poems
My Quotes
My Profile & Settings
My Inboxes
My Outboxes
Soup Mail
Contest Results/Status
Contests
Poems
Poets
Famous Poems
Famous Poets
Dictionary
Types of Poems
Quotes
Short Stories
Articles
Forum
Blogs
Poem of the Day
New Poems
Resources
Syllable Counter
Anthology
Grammar Check
Greeting Card Maker
Classifieds
Member Area
Member Home
My Profile and Settings
My Poems
My Quotes
My Short Stories
My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder
Soup Social
Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us
Member Poems
Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Random
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread
Member Poets
Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest
Famous Poems
Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100
Famous Poets
Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War
Poetry Resources
Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter
Email Poem
Your IP Address: 3.142.40.43
Your Email Address:
Required
Email Address Not Valid.
To Email Address:
Email Address Not Valid.
Required
Subject
Required
Personal Note:
Poem Title:
Poem
A month ago, ‘round New Year’s Eve, I headed out of town to spend a casual evening with a few old friends of mine. They told me we would meet for drinks at “Rusty’s Iron Bar,” and afterward we’d make the choice of where we’d go to dine. I landed at the airport and I found the rental desk, then told the lady I would like a “fairly classy car.” And after handing me the keys I very nicely asked, “Can you tell how to get to … ‘Rusty’s Iron Bar’?” “Certainly,” the lady said, “I go there all the time. Now, let me see…when you leave here…you’ll take the second right, Then hang a left at First and Grand, and take the one-way street until you come to…let me see…the seventh traffic light. “Better yet, just take a right the street before. That’s Oak. You’ll pass a little laundry, and an all-night donut shop. And then, I think, you’ll go about a mile straight ahead, to where you’ll find, as I recall, I think - a 4-way stop. “But don’t turn there, keep going straight, I'd say about a mile. You’ll pass a little grocery store, an elementary school, The oldest Baptist church in town, then just across the tracks, the city park, (they just installed a brand new swimming pool.) “And then you’ll turn on Walnut Street…or maybe that one’s Pine. I guess it doesn’t matter ‘cause the road ahead is closed.” By now I clearly realized - to be the way she was - her mind was not just dead…it had completely decomposed! I never saw her take a breath, her babbling never stopped. I finally grabbed her arm and said, “I think I’ll find a map.” She looked at me in disbelief, then rather curtly said, “Just take the way I told you, sir…you’ll be there in a snap.” Well, I was never happier to leave a human being. Relieved to get away from her, I hurried to my car, And as I left the lot I asked the guy inside the booth, “Do you know the quickest way to ‘Rusty’s Iron Bar’?” “Yes, I do,” he proudly said. “It’s quite a fancy place. My friends and I all go there after bowling, Friday nights. It’s probably twenty minutes from the airport to the bar. As you leave here, take a left, go through a couple lights… “Then take another left on Third…go past the Stop-N-Go…then keep on going, let me see…I s’pose around a mile… Until you come to Highway 26…then hang a right. The roadwork isn’t finished, so they’ll take you single file. “And when the flag car turns you loose, I think the lane you’ll want will be the one that says, ‘To Union City – straight ahead.’ Take that road to Western Drive, which takes you north to Elm. Go left on Elm, then right on Spruce…or…take a left instead. “That is where the road becomes a One-Way…going south. By turning either way you’ll come to something headed north. They’re changing all the streets around to help the traffic flow. It’s s’posed to make it easier for gettin’ back and forth! “Once you’re headed north again it’s really not too bad. Just watch for two big boulders, and a little flashing sign. The bar’s behind the car wash, so it’s kinda hard to see. Tell the barmaids, ‘Hi…from Roy.’ They’re all good friends o’ mine.” I threw the car in park, got out, and handed him the keys, then sat down on the curb and, for a moment, actually cried! I couldn’t move for quite a while, and I’m prepared to swear….Roy had to be related to that woman back inside. It looked as though the only way I’d make it to the bar would be to call a cab, and so I did exactly that. But when I said, “I’m tryin’ to get to Rusty’s Iron Bar,” he turned around and asked me…“Can you tell me where it’s at?” “No, I can’t,” I yelled at him. Then he yelled back at me, “Then find someone who knows the way…and rent yourself a car.” I slugged him in the nose…he called the cops…they jailed my ass… And to this day I’ve never been to - Rusty’s Iron Bar!
CAPTCHA Preview
Type the characters you see in the picture
Required