You can take the pulse of a town
at the local thrift store
by examining the shoppers and goods
and how much the place smells
like grandma’s basement.
You can take the blood pressure of a town
by counting the number
of rock and roll band stickers
you find on the back of stop signs
and assessing how long they’ve been there.
You can estimate the life expectancy of a town
by counting the number
of empty store fronts on Main Street
and asking the concerned locals
“Well, is she a fighter?”
Ken Owen
Van Niddy Press
