Persevere St and Overcome Blvd
Johnny grew up on the hard side of town,
Every day he got up somehow life beat him down.
The people, in his eye, were not very kind,
He’d rather move on and leave them behind.
His mom and dad had no money for that,
Barely scraping by they ate as well as a rat.
In town the people ignored him like he was not present,
The storekeepers chased him and weren’t very pleasant.
Johnny helped out the best that he could,
By taking odd jobs like chopping wood.
Dad worked all day out in the fields,
And every year they hoped for large yields.
Dad worked the ground in the dirt and the mud,
Until he had nothing left to give and was spitting blood.
But dad’s ill health has taken its toll,
And as he lays in bed mom prays for his soul.
Johnny needs to step up and be the man of the house,
Cruelly while looking for a job he’s rejected as a louse.
Such ignorance can’t deter him in his quest,
He will show them no longer can he be suppressed!
He finds a job in a factory on the outskirts of town,
With nothing but smoke and stench all around.
As long as he can find a way to make money the conditions never mattered,
Though looking into the hollow eyes of the workers he sees the dreams this factory has shattered.
Johnny went home and told his mom about his new job,
She seemed happy enough, but later on that night he heard her softly sob.
You see, she wanted the best for him like every mother does,
Guilt and sadness is how she felt every day because that’s just not how it was.
The factory work was filthy and bad,
And she knew if he stayed there he’d end up like his dad.
Time rolled by and Johnny did his part,
Until his mom fell ill – some say of a broken heart.
When she was gone Johnny saved his pay,
He had plans for a better life one day.
That time eventually came as he boarded a train,
The excitement of leaving town was overloading his brain!
When he took his money to the station to buy the ticket,
He didn’t care where to – he let the station master pick it.
As the train left the station and slowly moved down the track,
Johnny glanced out the window with a grin and knew he was never coming back.
Copyright © Mark Weismantel | Year Posted 2019
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