Tinker Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 Crossing OverThere are five crosswalksstriped on the roadsof my little village.Four at the four-way stopin the middle of townand one as one entersfrom the east. That’s where the tourists come from.Neither north nor southallows that cautionand the western entrance, coming down off the mountain,is at the four-way stop,that's my way in. Regular visitors saunter within the linesand locals cross where ever we want.Heck, it's our town.The white paint is wornbut visible. One stop signlazily leans to one side. A drunkmust have hit it at onetime or another. In ourtwo block-long watering hole,we have five restaurants, threeof which have full bars, the others serve beer and wine.I remember when there wereno crosswalks painted hereand only three dining halls. I’m told one had a brothel upstairs, but that was before my time.We are moving forward through the 20th century slowly.Someday we may even cross overinto the 21st. ~~Judi Van Gorder Quote ~~ © ~~ Poems by Judi Van Gorder ~~ For permission to use this work you can write to Tinker1111@icloud.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger11 Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 Hi Judi, As you can imagine, I enjoyed the perspective of a local, the gradual change of outside on inside, the voice of the local in behaviours. I'm not familiar with the American term crosswalk. It is an effective image in your poem. I liked the sense of defiant ownership with how the road is crossed as opposed to the regulated tourists. These is a sense of independence there, individuality.. I believe in slowtime rather than the rush, but that's me. all the best Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinker Posted July 4, 2020 Author Share Posted July 4, 2020 Hi Phil, cross walk is the path designated by white painted lines on the asphalt where pedestrians walk across a road usually from corner to corner. Since i have remained a resident of this area for 57 years, I too prefer a slower pace. Though, admittedly when I visit Mexico where my husband spends a lot of his time on our boat, the even slower pace has me climbing the walls with boredom after only a few days. ~~Judi Quote ~~ © ~~ Poems by Judi Van Gorder ~~ For permission to use this work you can write to Tinker1111@icloud.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyv Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 This is awesome, Judi! I was expecting a poem about passing away and smiled instead from start to finish. I love how you depict life in that town using "Main Street" images and the passage of time. The narrative is conversational, but not to the extreme, so as to not lose poetic effect. Excellent work! On 7/4/2020 at 12:56 AM, Tinker said: Though, admittedly when I visit Mexico where my husband spends a lot of his time on our boat, the even slower pace has me climbing the walls with boredom after only a few days. I think I could get used to it. I would probably stay till I run out of money or they run out of tacos! 🌮 Tony PS -- Happy July 4th weekend! 🎆🎇 1 Quote Here is a link to an index of my works on this site: tonyv's Member Archive topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. Baez Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 I get a strong sense of atmosphere--great use of details! Quote Someday we may even cross overinto the 21st. Zing! Killer last line! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 Other than seeming like a metropolis in comparison to the small town, where I was raised, I thoroughly enjoyed the very descriptive, image evoking wording. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoelJosol Posted May 27, 2021 Share Posted May 27, 2021 I enjoyed the contrast between the narrator's opinion versus the physicality of a town and how the journey of the poem parallels with the journey towards progress and its perceived downside with town life. Quote "Words are not things, and yet they are not non-things either." - Ann Lauterbach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcmarti1 Posted June 6, 2021 Share Posted June 6, 2021 It's a good thing you had to both clarify and qualify the fact of that brothel! 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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