Oh, but it is dirty!
--this little filling station,
oil-soaked, oil-permeated
to a disturbing, over-all
black translucency.
Be careful with that match!
Father wears a dirty,
oil-soaked monkey suit
that cuts him under the arms,
and several quick and saucy
and greasy sons assist him
(it's a family filling station),
and all quite thoroughly dirty.
Do they live in the station?
It has a cement porch
behind the pumps, and on it
a set of crushed and grease-
impregnated wickerwork;
on the wicker sofa
a dirty dog, quite comfy.
Some comic books provide
the only note of color--
of certain color. They lie
upon a big dim doily
draping a taboret
(part of the set), beside
a big hirsute begonia.
Why the extraneous plant?
Why the taboret?
Why, oh why, the doily?
(Embroidered in daisy stitch
with marguerites, I think,
and heavy with gray crochet.)
Somebody embroidered the doily.
Sombody waters the plant,
or oils it, maybe. Sombody
arranges the rows of cans
so that they softly say:
ESSO--so--so--so
to high strung automobiles.
Sombody loves us all.
--Elizabeth Bishop
Filling Station, from Elizabeth Bishop, The Complete Poems 1927-1979. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1983
Interesting shot Edd. The wet pavement is a nice touch.
ReplyDeleteThanks Robert. It was late on a drizzly day in early December, and my friend was (somewhat impatiently) waiting for me, so this was a quick take.
ReplyDeleteCurious about the church in the background...happy trails
ReplyDeleteWoodduck--I am curious about that church too. I always have an eye out for interesting church buildings, but for some reason, I simply did not see that church when I was in Creswell. I was surprised when I noticed it in this picture after I got back home. Hope to visit NC later this spring and will try to get back and check it out.
ReplyDelete