Tuesday Poem – Lunch at Springs Junction

       We lunched at ‘Springs’ one day
       the place where North and South
       meet West
       where outside smokers huddled
       in the damp

       and in the café
       travellers vied
       for cake and pie
       and slid their words
       across formica tables

       ‘It’s raining.’
       ‘How many times have you
       been here when it isn’t?’
       and then a light switch flickered on
       as aged bikies
       bubbled in

       bald headed babes
       in black leather rompers
       ‘Jees that bend was a boomer.
       Took it flat out
       like a greyhound racing.’

This poem was inspired by a cheerful bunch of older motorcyclists who brightened a wet day lunch at Springs Junction. It was published in The Lumière Reader, June 2008.

For those who don’t know it, Spring’s Junction is a very small place, made up mostly of a petrol station, cafe, and motels situated just before the turnoff to Reefton,  a well-known stop for travellers on the way to/from Christchurch through the Lewis Pass.  The cafe does a great kiwi lunch!

 

Energetic Motor-Cyclist. “Why the deuce don’t you sit still? You’ll have us over in a minute.”

The above image is from PUNCH or THE LONDON CHARIVARI, VOL 159, September 15th 1920.  Courtesy of Project Gutenberg.

And now that you’ve lunched  at Springs Junction you can return to Tuesday Poem.