Gravel Road

by James Babbs

it’s just the gravel road
where the teenagers go
drinking beer while
sitting on their cars
the music loud and
the girls want to dance
but none of the boys will
and they complain about
their parents and
the teachers at school
and anything else
they deem uncool
and they swear someday
they’re going to
get as far away
from here as they can
the next day
driving past their empties
scattered along
the side of the road
I can’t help thinking
back to the time when
I came out here
surprised to realize
it was so many years ago