Eat Here And Get Gas

saturday night
the truck stop is too crowded
the baby girl no more than two stands on her chair
giggling and throwing peas
high in the air, landing in water glasses
what a ball
her mother
too attractive to be this old
craves the spotlight
damn kid
the father should be somewhere west of the mississippi by now
a glass of milk gets knocked over
no harm intended
the waitress juggles the grand slams
a little hand is slapped
hard
and again no explanations
the pitiful bewildered wail
hardened truckers look up with underused effrontery
the mother embarrassed
just makes her madder
hisses and grabs at the blubbering child
where did I go wrong
cars whiz by from somewhere to nowhere
muzak
don't let the sun go down on me
there
is
no
beginning
without love
where would you be right now
there are no strangers
we all meet again we hope
I will be me in a world full of us