Two ice cream trucks, at rakish angles.
“Turkey in the Straw,” long since silenced.
Once upon a more simple time, they rumbled through quiet neighborhoods in rural Massachusetts, flanked on all sides by kids of all ages.
Legs churned, arms waved. Dimes glinted in the afternoon sunshine.
“Snow Cones, Push-up Pops, Creamsicles…come and get yours!”
A single row of barbed wire runs along the outside edges of the pasture where these utilitarian vehicles came to rest. They are nested, now, in tangles of ivy.
Hard to believe that the rust-covered metal was once a glossy white. The wiper blades are arthritic; the headlights, bleary.
Shredded tires are stashed on the floor, and the windows are smeared with nature’s residue.
Tired sentries, standing guard over the happy moments they once delivered:
Sweet frozen treats on hot summer days, tucked behind decorated metal awnings.
Their time has clearly come and gone.
And yet…
At the end of an old gravel road, within the loose confines of a pasture, someone’s mowed the grass around these time machines.
Their engines are long gone, and their beauty has long since faded. But maybe, just maybe– if we squint our eyes, just a little, and tilt our heads just so–nostalgia will carry us back to those blue-sky moments of our childhood.
Arthritic wiper blades. Such poetry! Lovely post, as usual Melodye!
I’m no poet, but hey: after several hours of yanking weeds and pruning bushes, I can easily sympathize with that creaky, shake-off-the-rust feeling. Poor truck.:)
Flashback time: When you bought frozen treats from an ice cream truck, what were your favorites? I loved the rainbow sherbet Push-up Pops and Nutty Buddies.
Clever writing. Somehow, going to the store for an ice cream will never hold the place in our memories as much as getting an ice cream from the truck passing by our houses. In my case, it was the man in the truck selling donuts! Actually had to chase him down the street a few times.
Wonderful photos and commentary. I especially love the last photo.
My favorite, too! I don’t know how it happened that the blue sky found its reflection among all that rusted metal, but yeah…it seems to me a certain kind of magic.
Thanks, by the way, for indulging me (i.e., serving as lookout, idling car at the ready) while I snapped those photographs. It was fun to examine the truck up close, and I couldn’t have done that without your help.
Ahh…so that’s how you got these great shots. You had a getaway driver! Must remember that next time I head out to photog this. Great photos, Melodye. And yes, especially the last one. Another for your photo gallery show. 😉
Love these shots, Melodye!