Absurdity Road Poem by Christopher J. Grasso

Absurdity Road

(Textual Marriage; taken from the Courier Post article “Zero Stock In Zero Tolerance” and the Philadelphia Inquirer “Truck Drivers Are Targets” editorial.)

At time, such one size fits all policies or ones like them…
I am a truck driver with 25 years experience
That take away any measure of discretion
I have no pity for Ernie Myers
Have been taken to the point of lunacy
The actions he is accused of cause honest
An 11-year-old Newark girl was hauled away by the cops
Conscientious drivers major grief everyday
After playfully cutting another girls hair
Every automobile driver views us as his natural road enemy
A fifth grade honor student in Colorado brought in her mother’s lunch by mistake
Every police officer views us as his prey
It contained a pairing knife to peel apples
And every hiway scale operator
The student was expelled for bringing a weapon to school
And inspector views us as dishonest cheats
Kids have been kicked out of school for possession of Midol, Tylenol, Alka Seltzer, cough drops and Scope mouthwash
But what else can you expect from a federally deregulated industry
Students have been expelled for Halloween costumes that include paper swords and fake spiked knuckles
This means disaster for the motoring public
As well as for possessing rubber bands, slingshots and toy guns
While new federal rules and regulations have been aimed at individual drivers
A second grader in Louisiana was kicked out of school for bringing her grandfather’s gold plated pocket watch to school
It seems that little has been done to crack down on the trucking owners
Because the timepiece had a tiny knife attached
The bar association is right
So I guess nothing will be done…