Lines And Signs And You

By Don Kenton Henry
19 June 1977

I have known only lines and signs 
the four months I've roamed
This land is my backyard, and the road is my home
My future lies on the map, on the seat
And one malfunctioning radio's
The only company I keep
As it rains

Though each passing car holds a friend I might meet
They have places to go, They have schedules to keep
But a stranger is a stranger 
No matter his name
And just a smile would go a long way
When it comes with the rain

Breakfast for one, isn't really so bad
Lunch with the same—no unbearable strain
But dinner in a van
Off the road, by a can 
Is a loneliness even a loner can’t stand
When it rains

And sanction in a truck stop
Brings no relief—from my blues
For a quarter in a juke box 
gets three songs about you
And an empty-eyed waitress 
only adds to the pain as I watch 
her reflection in a window . . .
that is covered in rain

Though I keep telling myself 
The extent of my past 
can be seen in the rearview mirror
No one is fooled 
It couldn't be clearer

It will rain . . .
It will rain . . . 
It will rain . . . 

For I have known lines and signs . . .
And you