The Omen Road
I rode my bike down Omen Road,
Knew they'd be after me, I'd reap what I sowed.
Crossed into Jersey, saw a dead bird ahead—
I prefer voices, I get symbols instead
In a pullout was a convertible with a man inside
He drew his finger across his nose, didn't approve this ride
By Greenwood Lake I smelled perfume as I climbed up the slope
I was tensing up, I was reaching the end of my rope
Heard two sarcastic guys in a parking lot
They could be talking about me, I hoped they were not
Should I keep on my course to Port Jervis Hotel?
Should I cut my trip short, heed the tolling bell?
(chorus)
For whom does the bell toll? Could it be me?
Should I surrender my rights in the land of the free?
It’s a grim kind of fate, riding this road,
Where even roadkill is a phrase in a code.
I cut through Warwick, a town old and serene
What I would encounter, who could have foreseen?
Passed a dead skunk on the road, who put it there?
Was I being paranoid, my accusation unfair?
Kept on a few miles, another dead skunk
I pinched myself, could I be drunk?
Reached a platform, but no train in the station,
Asked a bitter woman where I could find accomodation.
She sent me south, just a mile or two,
But the motel was nowhere, her directions untrue.
I asked a local man to search his cell phone
He found an old B and B that was not well known
The owners said I could stay, though it wasn't summer yet
This was an unexpected rescue, I felt in their debt
Next morning on the road, I ran into a dead fox
Does it pay to be clever, to think out of the box?
There’s a law of revenge, a law of crime,
Their justice isn’t yours, nor is it mine.
They were crusaders, but afraid of exposure
I knew too much, there could never be closure.
Got to the Hudson, got on the train
No way to tell this story, all would think it insane
How can I go against sanity's flow?
When the mundane is an omen, what can I show?
If it can be explained away, it stays unknown
And the startled realization stays alone.
Copyright © Gem Stone | Year Posted 2024
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