Lemons - A Poem
My dad owned a lemon
It wouldn’t go far
It was old, it was rusty
A piece of shit car
He’d worked hard to buy it
He drove it with pride
As a kid it was always
My favorite ride
And when other lemons
Were in his line of sight
He’d notice when some folks
Had left on their lights
He’d reach through the window
Or open the door
And he’d turn the lights off
(That’s what neighbors are for)
And he’d talk about kindness,
Compassion, and such
“With a lemon like that,
That guy must not have much.
This should save the battery
It won’t drain too low
So he won't have a crisis
When there's somewhere to go.”
I’d hoped as a grown-up
I’d turn off lights too
And do other good things
Good neighbors should do
But it’s many moons later
My dad’s in the stars
We lock doors, roll up windows
On our slick, fancy cars
We live in abundance
But still, life is tough
(When we had precious little
It was always enough)
I long for those days
When we didn’t have much
We had lemons, and trust
And compassion and such
We cared more for people
And much less for things
We were saved by our neighbors
(Not by lords or kings)
Now we’re anxious and lonely
We smile to hide scars
We have piece of shit lives
But magnificent cars.
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