They closed the corner store some time ago
the ciggies by the two we now forgo
our lucky bags now a recollection
as is browsing in the comic section.
Mechanics' Social Club no longer stands
their topless barmaids, striving local bands
and Sunday morns' all-comers talent show
both pubs have closed, there's nowhere left to go.
They closed the corner store some time ago
finally called the time and stopped the show
The cafe, bank the chemist shop, all gone
the street is quiet, not much going on.
We'll have a Tesco store sometime, they say
we know they're sure to place it far away
you'll need an Uber car, too far to walk
We'll miss the bench where you could stop and talk.
They closed the corner store some time ago
Nail salons and vape stores, now come and go
barbers, bookies empty charity shops
you see the homeless sleep, you see no cops
once walking up and down the street in pairs
graffiti daubs, the windows smashed, who cares?
An out-of-towner builds an HMO
inside the corner store we used to know.
Categories:
towner, nostalgia,
Form: Rhyme
Why do you do so much extra?
I stared at the man, not understanding
You did this, that, this, that, and this…he said
I continue to be confused.
People don’t do all this extra stuff for other people, he told me.
A lightbulb flashes blue in my brain.
He is from the city
I am from a small town
He does not know what a small towner will do for a complete stranger.
We collect money for funerals, give birthday, anniversary and engagement cards.
We plan baby showers and wedding showers.
You can call us for a ride to and from wherever.
If you need a cake, we will bake it.
It you need shoes, come home with me and pick some out.
My smalltown roots will never leave me, even now that I live in a city.
Categories:
towner, me,
Form: Free verse
fateful misgivings
milineal mourns
bashful boomer acquisitions
aquatic out of towner
wonderlust waterfaller
Categories:
towner, beautiful, care, celebration, engagement,
Form: Tanka
Who is he? They were asking in Montana, Bandicoot.
It was Mr. Electric Blue spider, and he was a beaut.
He kept creeping along, pretending he did not understand.
Besides, he was on his way to hear a Mariachi Band.
Seriously, do you know him? My neighbor asked me.
I thought she was too curious, we call her Widow Zee.
He’s an out-of-towner, a stranger, I said in my best voice.
I hear that he is a widow man, his deceased wife was Joyce.
Categories:
towner, 1st grade, 2nd grade,
Form: Rhyme
My granddaughter loves this restaurant and was looking forward to certain foods.
A simple slice of pie will do.
It’s on the menu - see me point.
A ghost restaurant - where’s the crew?
Waiter fumbles…who runs this joint?
French silk pie, I had my eye on.
Light, chocolat-y and with whipped cream
There’s none left?! Seems to be a con.
Too much to ask? It is my dream.
I drove eight hours to eat this pie.
All day, I was salivating.
See my point. Why won’t you comply?
Out-of-towner devastating!
Ah! Ah! After I groaned and groaned,
you asked your boss and found dessert.
Delirious, I laughed…postponed
my sweet idea to desert.
11/21/2022
Categories:
towner, food,
Form: Quatrain
chartreuse chassis
of my rental car —
relative glare
8/6/2021
A Brian Strand 1,2 or 3 line
Categories:
towner, color, travel,
Form: Haiku
A tiny hamlet tucked away midst the mountains of New Hampshire
A chill in the air; frost on the windowpane, icicle-framed
A fresh snow blanketing the ground; the silence of the holiday broken
by the pealing of the late-afternoon bells atop the village church
Stores shuttered, roads empty, save the occasional out-of-towner
Pilgrims trekking through snowdrifts, puffs of breath suspended in the air
Hearty greetings ringing out, piercing the quiescence, warming the soul
Lights switched on house by house, lamps pointing the way to Prayer
Three hundred people now gathered together in the village Church
Some neighbors, others friends; some acquaintances, few strangers
Three hundred people, on that Thursday in late November, united in gratitude
for all the blessings of the day, the Holiday, Thanksgiving Day, 1971
I too was there that day, proud to call those Pilgrims my brothers, my sisters
Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men -- from a tiny New Hampshire glen. Amen.
Categories:
towner, america, blessing, christian, prayer,
Form: Free verse
Different moods, Different tunes
For guys different females
For women different dudes
Certain environments and multi-foods
Can cause the infection of a bad or a good mood
Unusual vibes, certain bribes, and sometimes what the doctor prescribes
Can have you feeling queasy inside or better yet bona fide
Everything that you encounter can be a relief or a downer
Like a disease that will never cease not even with a prescription of the counter
A relief is happiness that brings peace during or after the encounter
Like when your lost and you ask directions because you an out of towner
A friendly person will pass the infection of relief when they answer your question and get you in the right direction
Such a pleasing strike, the infection
Categories:
towner, introspection, life,
Form: Rhyme