The Road to Beverly Hills
Long ago and far away when I was the country cousin living in Kingston's upscale Beverly Hills and working at the bottom of the ladder in my first city job I wrote this poem. I am trying to write from memory but I am unable to remember every single word so I have done some editing. Because Hub Pages will not tolerate a short hub I may write a third verse.
The Road to Beverly Hills
Tired and listless road
Glued to the parent rock
Winding, turning, telescoping
Biting the tough dry soil
Slick shiny long black cars
Air-conditioned all soaring past
While shimmering heat of Kingston
Though losing its angry strength
Follows me along your way
On the road to Beverly Hills
Looking back on my journey at that time it would appear that there is a lot beneath the surface. To begin with the "tired and listless road" is a personification. The writer is describing the road with human attributes. So the poem is not so much about the road as the feelings of the writer who is the person taking the journey. At the end of a day in his cubicle he felt tired and listless. Why listless? Could it be that his life at that time was characterised by a lack of interest, energy, or spirit? Here was a young man whose creative talents were not being maximised. He was struggling to get a toehold in the city. No wonder at the end of a workday he felt tired and listless.
The second hint to my personal struggles at the time is in the line "Glued to the parent rock". Again I am looking for subliminal clues to feelings and emotions. So it literally describes the road. But pull the words up and you see 'parent' and 'rock'. Was the young poet anxious about the values and religion of his rural parents while he confronted the new environment of the city?
These and more questions are worth exploring as we dig deeper into what appears to be a simple short poem.
