Death of a Gas Station

They now lie vacant and still.
In the past, drivers came for a fill.
With clean restrooms and soda machines,
these stops were once places with lively scenes.
“Let me check your oil and clean your windshield.”
That is what attendants said at Esso and Richfield.
There was also Sinclair, Atlantic, and Flying-A.
These names are all part of an earlier day.
They were there to help motorists on their way.
Whether they drove a Hudson, Studebaker, or Thunderbird,
service was always the key word.
The pumps are rusty and the windows are boarded.
The old signs are now damaged and distorted.
Walls of the buildings are overgrown with ivy.
Business was brisk at the height of their activity.
However, all that was there is only a memory.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2011

Poem

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Richards Avatar
February 19, 2011 at 8:27 AM
This makes me nostalgic with fond memories, of never leaving the car. Talking through an open window to the nice folks who serviced our cars. Makes me think of that scene in "Back to the Future" ...as Marty is thrown into the 50's, and sees all this going on! :)
Cane Avatar
February 19, 2011 at 8:23 AM
I really love this. People now-a-days just don't understand the beauty of Ma and Pop stores. Nice rhyming and descriptions!
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