TRUCKSTOP ANGEL
Poem-Copyrighted July20, 2000 by Beverly L Roller
Poem-Copyrighted October 1, 2002 by Beverly L Elrod

Tonight I met an angel.

No, he didn’t give his name.
But I’m sure he was an angel,

just the same.

I had parked at a truck stop

so I could get some sleep.
I didn’t hear a knock on my door.

I didn’t hear a sound or a peep.

My puppies’ barking finally woke me.

I heard them through my haze.
Looking out my front window,

I met the strangers’ gaze.

He didn’t look like a trucker;

though he had a kindly face.
All cleaned up, in a dress shirt,

and carrying a brief case.

I rolled down my window;

while I kept my dogs at bay.
He woke me up, so it had better be good;

what this stranger had to say.

“Your front wheel is loose!”

He pointed, to the trailer, as he talked.
“You’d better fix it.

Your tire’s about to fall off!”

I checked it out in my mirrors,

but everything looked the same.
So, crawling back in bed,

I decided he was insane.

But, as I lay there, I thought of the front axle work

done the other day;
of all the brakes, the drum, the seals, the studs

and nuts I’d had replaced.

Jumping up and putting on my shoes,

I decided to check it out.
He may be right. It may be loose,

but I’d see what it was about.

Everything was in place:

No rust around the lugs, though there’d been rain.
Yep! That settled it!

The man was definitely insane.

Then, on impulse, I bent to the tire,

to see what could be learned,
and placing my hand on the first lug nut;

to my amazement, it turned.

Oh my God! How did he know?

He had no power tool.
How could he? Why would he, or did he,

this man I thought a fool?

The driver parked next to me,

who’d been there all along,
said he’d waved to the man as he passed,

and then the stranger was gone.
　
Returning to where the work had been done,

just a short distance away,
the mechanic tightened all the nuts.

Three, on each side were loose that day.

So, when you’re awakened from a dead sleep,

think of the story I’ve had to tell.
You might be the next one to meet

your very own truck stop angel.