Today I turned down Main Street of this beautiful little town

As I have done a thousand times before out driving around

The tree lined Main Street  sidewalks were well manicured and extremely neat

While the sidewalk benches were there waiting patiently for old friends to meet

The store fronts on Main were not empty, as they are in most small towns

But there was something missing there, the more I slowly looked around

There was on the right side a diner with a sign serving breakfast and serving lunch

I’m sure they have a great lunch special of meatloaf and maybe Sunday Brunch

But the one thing that intrigued me was there was no Five and Dime

Or no Western Auto that was in every town back in my young time

There wasn’t even a ladies store on Main Street selling shoes and silk scarfs

Nor was there a mens suit store or hardware selling parts and tools for cars

What there was though, it was saddening but told of our changing time

Was a whole street of Bail Bond offices and Lawyers defending life of crime

What have we become when a whole town’s existence revolves around the courts

Seems the morals and human values of our society seem to be falling very short

On the street there also were two large Funeral Homes, one waiting patiently at each end

A whole downtown completely supported by nothing but crime and death, My God what a sin 

From My World to Yours,

Bob Baker