"There's Firewood For Sale by the Highway"
Between Harbor Springs and Mackinaw 1/14/2012
It lay silent on the side of the road.
White sign with black lettering perched on top
Spoke louder than any voice or story.
Inside the once proud home, no more glory.
Jobs ended and factories now shuttered;
Back to the land people have now returned
Scratching and clawing as they conspire.
Old cars rust where once new models flourished;
Empty swings move silently in the breeze.
A burn barrell smolders in the backyard.
Disheveled grasses, bushes, and oak trees
Surround the peeling once painted siding.
Dust and dirt blow up from the garden plot;
The last several bitter years no seed
To regain a foothold knocked down by greed.
As others around them just watched and stood,
In vain attempt to make a life once good,
But now a sign, that just sells firewood.
