(I wish I was on) the road not taken.Byline: Bob Welch There are a number of famous people of this name including:
My love for Robert Frost's poetry and my growing impatience with summer road construction just had a head-on wreck. The results: Stopping by a Flagger on a Hot Evening Whose work this is I think I know Their digs are air-conditioned though With ODOT ODOT Oregon Department of Transportation ODOT Ohio Department Of Transportation ODOT Oklahoma Department of Transportation cams they'll see me here Fossilized fos·sil·ize v. fos·sil·ized, fos·sil·iz·ing, fos·sil·iz·es v.tr. 1. To convert into a fossil. 2. To make outmoded or inflexible with time; antiquate. v.intr. in these traffic throes throe n. 1. A severe pang or spasm of pain, as in childbirth. See Synonyms at pain. 2. throes A condition of agonizing struggle or trouble: a country in the throes of economic collapse. My poor bladder must think it queer To stop without a bathroom near Between a Ford and 'Yota Camry The hottest evening of the year Such is Oregon, in dusty haze In this stretch of roadwork road·work n. 1. Sports Outdoor long-distance running as a form of physical exercise or conditioning. 2. The activity of taking a band, typically a rock band, on extended tours. 3. Highway construction. malaise From June to August, you will find Drivers demented demented - Yet another term of disgust used to describe a program. The connotation in this case is that the program works as designed, but the design is bad. Said, for example, of a program that generates large numbers of meaningless error messages, implying that it is on the brink by bright-coned craze Ahead, a trucker honks his horn His patience tried, his nerves all torn The only other sound's the beep As reverse-gear rigs seek to warn Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep The sounds of summer dark and deep Diverse we are but locked in place Beemers, bikers and those in Jeeps And I, the fool, who, years ago Thought car AC should be "forgoed" Now drenched in Adj. 1. drenched in - abundantly covered or supplied with; often used in combination; "drenched in moonlight"; "moon-drenched meadows" drenched covered - overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form; sweat to save a dime While watching bites from big backhoes But I've more pressing matters, yes Beyond the running-late duress duress (dy  `rĭs, d`–, d
Beyond an oven that is my cab My body feels a deeper stress I drank two pops before I left And find myself now quite bereft The truck's gas tank may be on full But my tank, too, has nudged to "F" And so do I ponder as I wait The six-cycle lights - now our fate We're detoured, funneled, forced to stop Like maze-crazed mice who're running late City, county and ODOT crews Fan out in force as if on cue They spread asphalt and bury pipes They widen, seal, resurface re·sur·face v. re·sur·faced, re·sur·fac·ing, re·sur·fac·es v.tr. To cover with a new surface: resurfacing a road; resurfaced the floor. v.intr. , too They rip up streets and new curbs make They close down roads while saving lakes They huddle over blueprints spread While drivers vent their bellyaches But I have something else to vent A deeper woe is my lament I lust at Buck's by worksite spots And try to hide my own torment Crescent, 105; Game Farm, too Have taken on a war-zone hue City View, Chambers, Clear Lake Road Surrendered to the roadwork crews Frazzled, we flee to Cascades and coast To avoid being construction toast Only to find: "Road Work Ahead" Haunted, yes, by road-sign ghosts He comes at night, "block-figure man" A nightmare sign of reprimand REPRIMAND, punishment. The censure which in some cases a public office pronounces against an offender. 2. This species of punishment is used by legislative bodies to punish their members or others who have been guilty of some impropriety of conduct towards them. Black on orange and holding flag Bowling-ball head and no left hand I wake in sweat, he haunts me so As eery as Willem Dafoe He stalks me everywhere I drive This faceless flagger bidding "slow" The truth is, amid the fret and cuss Whether we drive car, truck or bus We still think we can rule the road But, no, the roads - well, they rule us More, clearly, the power it rests Beyond the road - to those in vests With signs that tell us what to do And try to quell quell tr.v. quelled, quell·ing, quells 1. To put down forcibly; suppress: Police quelled the riot. 2. our growing stress. At last the flagger flips her sign Free at last, I surge with the line Then see the results of all this work A highway coolly realigned The road is lovely, dark, not deep But I have promises to keep And miles to go before I leak And miles to go before I leak Bob Welch can be reached at 338-2354 or at bwelch@guardnet.com. |
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