“I’ll never forget the songs we sang.
I’ll never forget the games we played.
I’ll never forget the times we had.
And I owe it all to you.”

Mike Kraft scoffed at the lyrics on the radio
Inside that run-down truck stop.
He had a long way to go to Fort Bragg, California
And his mind needed to be tip-top.

An old man sat on a guitar stool,
Behind the counter, chewing gum.
He stared at a tv listlessly,
Seeming to have no fun.

“Y’all ain’t got the jerky I want.
What you reckon is the best?”

The man to no notice of Mike,
So Mike continued to press.

“I said, you ain’t got the jerky I want!”

“I heard ya before!
I don’t know, I don’t eat jerky!”

“Then what good are ya for?”

The man grabbed a shotgun off his counter,
And began to head toward Mike.
Mike put his hands up in a placating gesture.

“Hey, I didn’t want a fi-”

“Shhh!!!”

The man hushed him,
And walked past Mike to the door.

“There’s a storm brewing out on route 50.
There’s lots of danger in store.
Many have gone down that road,
And many have been driven mad.
Your truck may survive that white-hot desert.
But will your mind last?”

Mike laughed aloud and sighed aloud.

“That’s a good one there.
I’ve done this run eight times before.
But you sure did give me a scare!
Look, I’ll just take this one here.
Will you ring me up?”

The man put his gun back on the counter,
And sat down with a huff.
He rang up Mike and said no more.
Mike went back out to his truck.

“Stupid crazy small town men.
I wish I had another spot for my truck.”

He climbed inside and dialed the radio.
And soon, he began to drink.
He looked at a few pictures on his wall,
And just sat there, trying to think.

He saw his Mom, his Dad and others,
But he stared at an empty spot.

“Get some good sleep tonight Mike.”
It’s a long road ahead-”

“STOOOOOPPPPPP!!!”

Mike jumped at the sudden scream from his speakers,
The radio crackled and popped.
But a moment later, his signal came back.
And he searched around for his Glock.

But nothing else happened that night.
And in fact, he slept well.
It’s a good thing too because he would need it,
To make it through the desert’s spells.