Everyday,
at the crack of dawn,
an old man starts the day shift.
He changes tires
with ninety year old hands
and a will of cool determination.
Quick and diligent to the task
he spins three nuts
off the wheel at once.
With ridiculous speed,
in his clean, meticulous uniform,
he finishes the task.
- Van Essen -
says the sew-on name tag.
Old and
withered he finishes,
wiping his hands on his pant legs
whistling to himself.
He scratches his chin,
"That'll be $10," he says.
I have learned
two things from this morning:
Experience can be old and tired
-and-
Almost never trust $10 service for anything,
unless it's from an old man,
silhouetted,
by the sun coming up.