When You live Your Life by the Side of the Road

Poetry

By Richard E. Noble

When you live your life by the side of the road,
you always know which way the traffic flows.

When you live your life by the side of the road,
you see their faces but not their toes.

You might catch a glint, a gleam, or a sparkle;
you might even think that you know who they are.

But when you live your life by the side of the road,
what you really know is which way the traffic goes.

You will see them talking and laughing inside,
and maybe children bouncing about on a back seat.

You see the mustaches, the braids, the balding heads.
You see them staring, lost in thought.

But from the side of the road, you can’t see their toes,
and all you know really, is which way the traffic flows.

From the side of the road you can watch the race;
you can dodge through the traffic when you know that it’s safe.

From the side of the road you don’t need a car;
you can walk on the shoulder or follow a star.

You can watch the lights and read the signs.
You can walk or don’t walk.

You can sleep under a bridge;
you can make your own mind.

But from the side of the road you can’t see their toes,
and all you know really, is which way the traffic flows.

From the side of the road the lights at night can get awfully bright
and the speeding traffic can buzz in your ears.

From the side of the road things can often get hazy, a blur, a maze;
one can get lost, and even go crazy.

From the side of the road, there is no place to go.
You never know the things that ‘they’ know.

Or where they come from, or where they go,
and you never see the tips of their toes.

And all you know really is the way the traffic flows.