The Arrow's Green And I Turn Left. Poem by William L Roberts

The arrow's green and I turn left.
Straight, there's a strip mall,
A dealership, a gas station,
Then the road climbs a hill.
My way looks much the same.
It's the end of the day,
My way leads to you and home.

It occurs to me of a sudden
I don't know where I'd be
If I went straight at that intersection.
10 years and I've always turned,
Never seen nor wondered
What lies on up that road,
Beyond that hill.

10 years:
A clock, an extra week of vacation,
A mention at the company meeting,
A plaque whose veneer started peeling
Soon as I got to the car,
So my face, kind of amused,
Shone reflected in its shiny backing.
It's been a good job, I've worked hard,
And the pay's been quite OK.

At home the 10 years will earn me a 'Hey'
And a laugh about the wordless plaque
That as a mirror might be almost useful,
Then the talk will get back
To who said what to whom at school,
To what happened at soccer that afternoon,
To what your mother said on the phone.
After dinner I'll loaf and watch the game.

10 years it's taken me to notice
I never saw a choice.