Bj Legros Kelley Poet Rhyme

Truncated Roads of Promise

There was a time,
                                         long time ago
                                       A different world
                                       we used to know
                                     As highway ribbons
                                    cut through the night
                                      Beneath the stars
                                     clear diamond light
                                    There was a promise
                                       for us to borrow
                                     We'd take the paths
                                      to sweet tomorrow
                                    The towns that graced 
                                       the winding roads   
                                         Alight with life,
                                     Mainstreet's abodes  
                                 Whose gleams outshown  
                                       the crystal stars   
                                       In longtime past,
                                     of youth, once ours
                                           Neon colors
                                      of signs so bright
                                      A shining welcome
                                       of joy filled light 
                                    How my young heart
                                        wished to stay    
                                    But we drove quickly 
                                           on our way    
                                 Along a highway ribbon,   
                                       towns faded from
                                            our sight
                               Truncated roads of promise
                                      Driving onward
                                    Through the night

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Gershon Wolf October 18, 2023 at 8:09 PM Absolutely faving this one immediately, BJ. Wow! You've covered most of life's highways with this one. Thank you!! :) gw

Gary Radice August 12, 2023 at 1:49 AM "The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there." A lovely lament for times past BJ. I view the highways in your lovely poem as a metaphor for life's journey. Cheers - Gary Bj Legros Kelley August 18, 2023 at 9:45 PM Yes, things are certainly different nowadays, and you were correct in the metaphor, very much related to the old highways. Thank you for your visit Gary, it is nice to hear from you :)

Anon Y'Mous August 6, 2023 at 2:52 PM I like to watch youtube videos of the old roads and highways. Seeing the small towns or what's left of them. Your poem take's me back to being a child and living those times again, happy times. Loving the poem, great memorys. Bj Legros Kelley August 10, 2023 at 7:58 PM I miss childhood days, I loved the neon, my mom hated the martini glasses, remember how they had a stirring stick that was alight and stirring from side to side? When I was a little girl I wondered why my mom was mad about those pretty signs, lol! Yes, those videos, especially Adam the Woo's videos, he loves to travel the old byways, when he's not in Disney anyway :) It is sad to see so many abandoned towns along the way, but it is nice to be able to see them again, though different than when we were kids. I'm glad the Route 66 Association keeps the Mother Road in the news, but itis fading. Twin Arrows Trading Post and Cafe is in shambles, I remember that place from being little. Happily Williams AZ is revamped, such a joy to see all that neon lit up again! The train from Williams to the Grand Canyon is a real dream as well, I'm ready to head back up that way and see more of Route 66! Thank you for your comment Anon, it's always a joy to see your comments to me. Have a blessed day :)

Regina Mcintosh August 6, 2023 at 2:12 AM Impressive - a long long drive... God bless you always, Love, Gina Bj Legros Kelley August 10, 2023 at 7:52 PM Thank you Gina, yes, it is isn't it? Things sure have changed from the days I remember! My dad loved to take us traveling, always his choice was the highways, at first not like there was too much of a choice, but then because he wanted us to see them before they were gone. I remember Glenrio, New Mexico/Texas. It was a sweet, hospitable tiny highway town, if you blinked you'd miss it, but it was alive and adorable. It is a ghost town now. It makes me so sad.