The Wall

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“What a dear old wall that is that runs along by the river there! I never pass it without feeling better for the sight of it. Such a mellow, bright, sweet old wall; what a charming picture it would make, with the lichen creeping here, and the moss growing there, a shy young vine peeping over the top at this spot, to see what is going on upon the busy river, and the sober old ivy clustering a little farther down! There are fifty shades and tints and hues in every ten yards of that old wall. . . . It looks so peaceful and so quiet, and it is such a dear old place to ramble round in the early morning before many people are about.” Jerome K. Jerome, “Three Men In A Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)” Ch. 6 (1889)

Based on a true story

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(dedication: to my teens)

There's this sign
At this place
I go to put gas in my car.
It says, like,
''Open 6 a.m. to 12 p.m."
They used to stay open till midnight.

There's this guy
Who owns this place
That sells me gas for my car.
The sign used to say, like, "12 a.m."
But some lady said that wasn't midnight,
So he changed it.

There's this lady
At this place
who takes my money for the gas.
My wifes, like,
"You can go home--it's 6:oo p.m."
But the lady's working till midnight.

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