On The Road Poem by Terry Collett

My aunt lives over there
you said

and Jimmy looked
over the back

of the coal truck
to where you were pointing

and said
we must be far

from home then
if that’s where she lives

and you looked over
at the apartments

wondering if your aunt
was home or not

and the coal guy said
best keep your heads down boys

don’t want people wondering
what the heck you’re doing

in the back of a coal truck
and so you and Jimmy

got underneath
the tarpaulin

and the driver pulled away
to deliver more coal

and Jimmy said
if my old girl

knew I was here
she’d hit the roof

or worse
and you said

well it’s been an adventure
it got us out

of the block
and on the road

for a while
and when we get

back home
we best sneak

out of here
and hope to God

we ain’t covered
in that coal dust

all over out jeans
and tee-shirts and such

or we’ll be in for it
and outside

you could hear
the pitter patter of rain

on the tarpaulin
and imagined

you could hear
Jimmy’s mother’s

sharp angry voice
through the darkness calling.