Scott Whitby, 2021
It was an old grocery store
But now just ransacked
Stinking of mold and dirt
Across from the railroad track
Better days were long before
Selling supplies and a snack
Cash was legal tender
A joy to think back
It seemed it was gone forever
That old stove and smokestack
Nailed shut and waiting decay
Floors with worn shellac
But music had a say
And came screaming from the back
Or snuck in unnoticed
Gospel in a Cadillac
Mike and Jimmy sang their songs
Another and another, never off-track
Brotherly Love and Farmin’ Man
Their words like an almanac
Andy Tanas once a month
Played like a crackerjack
Sing like a gentle bird
But his guitar brutally attacked
The Fajita brothers
And the Parlor was packed
Keith and Mike and Danny
With Kevin at quarterback
But things like this can never stay
They always seem to crack
Even sneaking screaming music
With its burning light fades to black
But it’ll sit and smolder
Quietly planning its next attack
And storm again in Puryear
And howl like a maniac
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