NOT MUCH

on the endless freeway and late for work again
I was crawling in the fast lane on the westbound 10
spied a pedestrian in my rear view much to my alarm
he was moving with a swagger between the overheating cars

he was a tall man in a rumpled, 3-piece suit
and he stared into my window as he loomed into view
with a devil’s grin and a tightly focused gaze
he said: boy, is this really how you want to be spending your days?

I found this quite unusual, it was 9:05
it’s not an everyday occurrence on my morning drive
he almost seemed to know me well, I offered him a ride
we wound up swapping tired stories about the daily grind

he said it’s not much of a journey when you’re traveling this way
not much to hope for with how you’re earning your pay
not much of a conversation if you’ve got nothing left to say

well, I said who are you exactly and what’s all this to you?
he seemed amused by my annoyance tried to shift my point of view
he said: is this all you dreamed of or did you want to make a little noise?
how’d you ever make so many obvious choices?

it’s not much of an adventure just trying to survive
not much of romance if it don’t make you feel alive
not much of a car if it don’t make you want to drive

not that it was any of his business but in all of this strife
I found myself trying to justify my tidy little life
I had made some choices I admit to some compromise
but I thought I’d, you know, give myself a little easier time

he said it’s not much of a dream if it’s there within reach
not much of a crime if they don’t barricade the streets
not much of a thought if you can fit it in a tweet

you know, everyone is moving with so many plans
only thinking about where they wind up once the traveling ends
better look out of those windows and take the broader view
this highway ain’t as long as it may appear to you

not much of a joke if it don’t make you laugh out loud
not much of a fire if it doesn’t draw a crowd
not much of a life if you’ll just go quietly into the ground

by then the cars had stopped completely and the road grew very still
we’d come rolling to a stop beyond a taco bell
I looked over at my companion that man he was gone
but I heard his voice inside my head and before too long
I saw the traffic was still moving going back the other way
I took a moment to consider but there was nothing left to say
I just shut off the ignition and I jumped the center wall
looking for a ride going anywhere at all

not much of a story if you know how its gonna end
not much of a confession without a little sin
not much to lose if there’s nothing you can win

©2022 Joe Forkan