Out in the Country
Along narrow roads
   near creeks, barns and houses
        within sight of cats and cattle,
             deer, possums, dogs and squirrels
sit all manner of and types of businesses:
Auctioneers
    (sell what mom and dad accumulated over a lifetime)
Bars and restaurants
    (usually in the same establishment)
Bed and breakfasts
    (to avoid hearing the in-laws snore)
Bowling alleys
    (keep teens and trouble separated)
Car lots
    (where folks get a car after theirs no longer runs)
Cemeteries
    (where mom and dad reside for eternity)
Churches
    (give comfort to the living and say words over the dead)
Farms
    (the business, or at least the hobby, of most)
Fire departments
    (run by volunteers to keep people and property safe)
Garages
    (help keep vehicles running as long as possible)
Gas stations
    (keep cars and trucks and tractors running)
Junk yards
    (where cars and trucks and tractors go when they no longer run)
Salons
    (where a gal can get her roots touched up)
Skating rinks
    (see "Bowling alleys," above)
Not seen at all in our community?
    A mall--and that's the truth, Y'all
Life in the country is
    stretched out
         and perhaps inconvenient.
But few would trade our country ways
    for nightly traffic jams
         and the time required to get home
              to a tiny patch of green
That is the suburban nightmare.