The Town the World Forgot

After riding around Irondale, AL this afternoon, all these words really came to me. It's sad, but there are a lot of towns not only in the south, but in our nation that this happened to.

In this sleepy little town, the train wines down the tracks;

The only thing constant are the echos of the past.

Boarded up street corners and an old train station

Is all that's left of us now, with no explination.

What used to be a town of dreams lays quiet now in the morning dew,

And my mind drifts back to the days when everything seemed so new.

Neighbors would help neighbors, and police were always on call,

But a short time later it was left with nothing at all.

I walk these lonely streets as the past follows behind;

Just up the road is a lake where the sweet smell of jasmine still resides.

I sit within the tall grass and think of yesterdays

As the crickets in the distance calm me with their serenade.

I used to sit here and dream just before Dad would take me fishin',

And now there is only silence, though I try my best to listen.

Just up the road is a cafe, which surprisingly still stands,

And has a blackberry cobbler that still makes my head hit the fans.

As the day draws on slowly, I drive home from my nine to five,

And walk in the doors of a sacred place, where memories still reside.

As the day draws to a close I pick up this old guitar,

And on the front porch I play a song that still warms my heart.

As the fireflies dance under the moon and stars so bright,

I close my eyes and drift back to a time when everything seemed so right.

The lonesome whistle of the northbound train tells the town goodnight,

As we hold on to the memories of yesterday, and a future that seemed so bright.

 

 

Reviews

[TTBoy28]

You make Alan Jackson's, "The Little Man," seem forgettable. This write is so relevant to today's time, moreso because you still have a 9 to 5 and can still sit down in a place to reminisce. You could be the one envied here, but I am glad that you told this story. It seems like it was once a very nice town. Thank you!