That's Just the Way It Is

The fence rows used to be clear of brush

with no cedars or pines growing high.

The state trimmed the roadside five times a year

and you could see from the Parkway roadside.

Flowers bloomed in the interstate divide

and houses were painted and clean.

No graffiti covered abandoned gas stations.

People were nice, not mean.

Those halcyon days of long ago

only four decades or so

have transformed into a world of decay.

It's not something I care to know.

The farmers' kids all left town

to find money in better cities.

To save taxpayers their dollar bills

no one cares if the roadside's pretty.

The Blue Ridge Parkway's a solid drive

if you don't want to see the sights.

The overlooks are overgrown with scrubs

and you don't clear that overnight.

Where is the pride in the public space?
Where is the joy in the living?

When all around there's debris and trash

and lots more taking than giving?