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If Ever I Were To Pick Up HitchHiKer....

by Sandy M. Humphrey

Upon a rolling suitcase she sat poised
Silver handle extended behind her like a throne
Around her black carry on and duffle bag
Angled at each foot give the appearance
Of many belongings or all of one’s

Shoulders squared in denim jacket and twill sleeves
Red and gray stocking cap pulled tightly down
Covering hair and ears it is the softness in the cheeks
Perhaps those give her away, male or female?
Aged and weathered as is this day

An extended thumb beside her right cheek
Beckoning truckers yet her face it does not break
From the steady stare straight ahead
For there must be some strange circumstance
To land her here at I-40 and Morgan

Not once but two mornings in a row
Somewhat out of place among the usual
Hitchhiking fare that pace this strip
As commuters and cross country haulers
Alike begin the early morning drive

Down the Midwest interstate she is not moving
From this spot she is just in wait
For the ride that will take her where she needs
To go and though I would like for it to be me
I can only imagine what it is that brought her to this point

This narrow inlet of land between access road and exit
With not one but three nice pieces of luggage
A warm coat and stocking cap to shield against the rain
A thumb that doesn’t look accustomed to job just yet
And the look that says
“I never thought this could happen to me”


10/06/2009

Author's Note: Sometimes humanity reaches out and grabs you and you want to do what you have always been told not to do, this is one of those times, there is something about her that says she just doesn't belong...and I wander how do you get there in this place with so much yet so little...smh

Posted on 10/06/2009
Copyright © 2024 Sandy M. Humphrey

Member Comments on this Poem
Posted by Gregory O'Neill on 10/07/09 at 06:42 AM

I think the danger in life is well shouldered by by a compassionate heart. Though I would not toss it windward,I worry that between the great things we cannot do and the small things we will not do, the danger is that we shall do nothing. Thanks. Great poem.

Posted by George Hoerner on 10/07/09 at 01:46 PM

I suspect there are many of us closer to that point than we want to realize. Really nice write Sandy.

Posted by Elizabeth Jill on 10/08/09 at 09:34 PM

Someone went outside the bounds of common sense and picked me up when I was young and ~ just as you described above.

Turned me around, to find such complete kindness. I was unfamiliar with it, but stuck my hopes out for a way out of a horrible situation.

Need I tell you how this poem knows? Perfect last line, too. Perfect.

Posted by Glenn Currier on 10/09/09 at 07:48 PM

Wow, Sandy, you hit the target and punctured my heart with this one. It was cool to read Elizabeth's comment. We never know. How comfortable we are in the car and so far from these poor souls lost to society's rules of normal. I often wonder what it is in me that allows me NOT to stop. Thanks for this beauty, Sandy. This gets my vote for potd.

Posted by Charles E Minshall on 10/09/09 at 11:40 PM

Good poem to read Sandy....CharMin

Posted by Tony Whitaker on 10/12/09 at 05:55 AM

I loved this absolutely captivating piece. But when it comes to decisions such as these, there is right and there is wrong. In the middle is evil.

Posted by Ken Harnisch on 10/13/09 at 02:12 AM

Oh,Sandy, that last line quivers like an arrow in the tautest bow! The whole poem resonated with me, who has wondered after the circumstances of hitchhikers for years.

Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 10/13/09 at 08:11 PM

You have an eye for fine details, and tho this pulls at my heart strings in many ways, you have not sensationalized this event, as you might have. I appreciate your calm appraisal. Well done.

Posted by William Brunk on 10/13/09 at 11:05 PM

wonderful display of a human condition when it is indeed torn between the elements of circumstance. I really enjoyed this. Thanks

Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 05/02/13 at 01:23 PM

Good to see this as POTD!

Posted by George Hoerner on 05/02/13 at 07:31 PM

I'm surprised it hasn't been POTD before this.

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