If you’re anything like me, you hate to leave home. I love to drive my truck and I love the road, but leaving home has to be the hardest part of this fine profession. Sometimes, it takes a few hundred miles for me to shake that “I don’t want to go” feeling and get my mind on the road. Usually, my wife will pack me a lunch for my first day out, and it makes me sad to leave – especially if I have been home for several days in a row. But, when I finally get rolling, get my mind back on the road and get my focus on the truck, I can enjoy some of what this job has to offer – like the sights, the people, the nice-looking rigs, and the song that the engine sings when you listen closely to it. It’s almost like a lullaby, very harmonic, and sometimes right in tune with the lines on the road or the power poles flying past. Maybe it’s just me, but I love to listen to the truck and watch as its shadow is cast out along the shoulder ahead of me. This poem is different than the ones I usually write. I hope it is easy to follow. When I wrote it, I was thinking about all the different cities in America that are known for having a certain sound to the music that comes from there. Right now, Detroit seems to have a popular sound. Well, that got me to thinking. If you appreciate the song a Detroit Diesel engine sings, I think you will like this poem.
A DETROIT SONG
By Trevor Hardwick
When the sun goes down, and the moon comes out.
All the lights come on, and there ain’t no doubt…
I’ll be missing you, and the highway’s long.
I’ve got a ham on rye, in a paper sack.
At the state line sign, there’s no turning back…
I’m gonna be alright, why does it feel so wrong.
I remember how you kissed me, the kids already miss me.
I’ll turn the dash lights on, and start hummin’ along…
To a Detroit song, a Detroit song.
I know this four lane slab, ain’t gonna set me free.
And the way it is now, ain’t like it used to be…
But my wheels still turn, pushin’ out diesel fumes.
I think of you and me, out on a bench somewhere.
Not a word being said, but I catch your stare…
Not sure how long it’s been, but it ends too soon.
I think of how it could be, I’m glad you withstood me.
You’re where my heart belongs, when hummin’ along…
To a Detroit song, a Detroit song.
This ol’ Detroit sings loud, with every clank and clink.
And the lines on the highway, seem to pass in sync…
You think the road’s my bride, and you’re groom is gone.
There’s a thunder storm, up on the Great Divide.
When the night is long, and there’s no place to hide…
You captivate my thoughts, and keep me pushin’ on.
So if you miss me show it, I’ll be back before you know it.
If I’ve been gone too long, just know I’m hummin’ along…
To a Detroit song, a Detroit song.