Gittin' along

Ah got m’ self run down by a truck today.

Darned fool thing ta do. Dunno where ‘sactly. Some dry dusty road someplace. Prob’ly shoulda seen that mother comin’ a ways off, but don’t recall that ah did. Jus’ one-a them things ah s’pose. That road was prob’ly ten miles dead straight in both directions. Take somethin’ fer a man ta miss a big ole truck, but ah did.

Guess it messed me up purty bad anyways, ‘cos ah aint in th’ land o’ th’ livin’ no more. Ah cain’t recall feelin’ much at th’ time. Don’t even know if th’ driver even stopped. You can miss a man in th' road when you’re drivin’ those miles an’ inta th' sun an’ all. Anyways, it don’t matter any now. Ain't no one gonna put a man in jail fer a dead hobo more’n they would a dead coyote.

Ah musta bin a-walkin’ them highways most-a ma life an’ ain’t never bin hit by no truck afore. Guess ah just got old and unlucky. And maybe’s a little hard a hearin'. Ah couldn’t-a heard a goddam jet fighter plane a-rollin’ down that road. Ah’m s’prised ah ain’t been hit afore come ta think of it. It weren’t th’ driver’s fault. Jus’ one-a them things. Ah hope they go easy on him – fella can git in a whole lotta trouble over somethin’ like that.

Ah knew ah shoulda stuck to th’ tracks. Ah bin a-ridin’ them damn trains fer years, but ah jus’ git right along past the depot this mornin'. Ah wanted to be on m’ own. Maybe’s ah felt m’ time a-comin’. Ah heard tell a fella does. Ah seen ‘em go quiet and ya jus’ cain’t raise ‘em. Next thing they dropped clean off-a the car. Ah don’t know what it is.

Ah wonner if’n ah gonna git a proper Christian burial. Ain’t set foot in a church sin’ ah was in short britches, but that don’t mean ah don’t believe none. Ah sure would like ta think them ole coyotes and buzzards wasn't gonna have me, but ah don’t ‘spect there’s an awful lot ta fight over down there on that black top. Still.

Well, ah s’pose ah better be gittin’ along. If y’all are God-lovin’ folks, maybe y’all might put up a few words fer an old hobo. Ah paid m’ dues.

S’ long.