Burma Shave

The usual hot ride this morning with the same sounds of pop, pop, pop new roof or the rattle of aluminum ladders being transported by white trucks, of people talking into their hands, babies laughing at the playground and the same sights of swooping Mockingbirds chasing the June beetles who bounce off my helmet and the orange marked trees who will be leaving and the blue Model-T glistening in the sunshine or the cannon in the front yard protecting the house from the unknown, yet today there was something different.

At the top of the hill next to the four lane main street, I noticed a day-glo yellow letter size paper stapled to a telephone pole. On the paper was written, "I'm sorry I hurt you." I continued my looped journey but when I reach the street to cross again I saw another note. "My heart cries" it said. I looked down the road and on every telephone pole and tree there was another message.

After my ride, I slowly back tracked and read each message. "The is no US without U", "Time Moves Slow", "The sky is grey"....

I imagine the young woman who wrote this (there were hearts on the exclamation marks and circles over the i) had an intended reader and knew his path, but it was posted for the whole town to read.

It just struck me, though almost sickening like those little messages on Valentine's candy, these were public displays of affection. Young love at it's best. Usually written in a dairy or hidden away in a secret place, this was an attempt to make a means for a teenage romance gone sour.

And we will never know how it turned out.