Stone Soup Servings is a regular series for Oddball Magazine that features upcoming performers at Stone Soup Poetry, the long-running spoken word venue in the Boston area that has partnered with Oddball Magazine. Stone Soup Poetry now meets from 7-9 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery’s new location at 541 Massachusetts Avenue in Central Square Cambridge, Massachusetts. The open mike sign-up at 6:30 p.m.

This Monday features the return of K. Peddlar Bridges and friends back to the gallery as they celebrate the annual motorcycle poet event Roadpoet Fortnight. Read the poem below by Peddlar and be in attendance to hear him and other surprise readers.

 

The American Diner

The 40s … 50s … 60s …
There were Diners in those days
Most likely from the near tip of Key West
To the near top of Maine

Wherever Route One ran
There was the Action

They even had Rte One and
Rte One A …
Just so you could double your fun

Along side Rte 1 … Rte 1A
You could always find
Tourist Cabins
With 40s … 50s … Early 60s’ …
Sedans and Coupes
Parked in the Court Yards
Or just coming back
Pulling in from the Diner!

And not far away
from Rte 1 … Rte 1A

There was always a race track!

Horses were trotting
Dogs were running
and cars were Spinning
Around and Around The Track

And after the races
The Diner was the place to go!

And on Weekends
The Drive-In Movies
Was the place to be.

Young folks
Old Folks
Car Folks
Family Folks

Folks watching the screen
Folks handing peanut Butter
sandwiches over
the back of the front seat
to the kids in the back
while the dog
wagged his tail
and waited for his share

while young folks
in the next car
necked
or passed
greasy French-fries
over the seat to
one another
or shared watered down
cups of Coke-a-Cola

In between shusssssshing one another …
And saying, ” I want to hear this.”

And no matter how many French-Fry boxes
or Pop Corn boxes
were emptied during the picture
After the show … The Diner
was still … The place to go!

So come around Mid-Night
on weekend ends
The rumble of Harley’s
could be heard
Coming down Old Rte One
back from the Beaches

As Stock Car trailers
and ramp trucks too
could be heard

rattling over bumps
as they rolled
into the back of the lot
coming back from the track
to stop at the diner

And soon
late night teens
could be heard
returning from the Drive-In show
Playing Radios
with music
of blue jeans
Hot Rods
and Peggy Sue

And all this was the way
from the near Tip of Key West
to The Near Top of Maine

And so are these
the memories

of the 40s … 50s … and Early 60s’ …
Route One and Route One A
and The American Diner.