Poetry by Shelby Case

“Ode to the travelers on I-5”

An elderly woman works at the motel here in Springfield,
Wearing a red and white sock up over a pant leg,
And an orange, red, and green sock over the other leg.

She pushes a yellow laundry basket down the walkway.
Click, click, click.

In the late night hours,
I hear the semis and other vehicles drive up and down the highway.
Truck drivers,
Grandparents,
Parents with children,
Job seekers.

A stream of headlights decorating the night.