Actual Hitchhiker Poems from the Roadside
Below are the poems I have gleaned from the light poles over the years. Some could only be written by stranded hitchhikers, others are likely unique and amazing or disturbing, others are taken from song lyrics or famous poems, and still others are just little ditties likely made up on the spot.
The first set of this poems are presented here in order of the date they were logged. The last grouping, are of the “Here I sit, brokenhearted” style, a la verses one might find in any given bathroom stall anywhere in the USA and perhaps anywhere around the globe. That form of verse is often referred to as bathroom poetry or shithouse poetry, of which Alan Dundes (1934-2005), a folklorist at Berkeley, coined the term “latrinalia” in 1965 to refer to graffiti found in restrooms http://dpg.lib.berkeley.edu/webdb/anthpubs/search?all=&volume=34&journal=5&item=10
The word is derived from merging the word latrine, a type of bathroom, with the suffix -alia, which signifies a collection of something of a given genre. The difference here with most of these verses found on light poles is their having a waiting hitchhiker’s bent to them, for which is being coined the term “latroadalia,” after latrinalia, but by merging the terms “latrine,” “road,” and the suffix, “-alia.”
Actual Hitchhiker Poems from the Roadside
Need a ride
Need plenty of money
Need a soft bed
Need plenty of food
8/23/92, I-15N, Las Vegas , NV, at Sahara Ave on-ramp
"Your House Ore Mine"
Geographical in dominations!
Our earth is a womb for souls
More shores to come.
10/29/94, I-15S Baker, CA , at Kelbaker Rd on-ramp
I'm headed nowhere, but everywhere
But someday I might be headed
Somewhere but nowhere
Love to all whites
Maria(?) 7/7/77
Hoboken NJ to
LA Calif and then some maybe
10/29/94, I-15S Baker, CA , at Kelbaker Rd on-ramp
Here at Dawn
Too tired to yawn
Another day has started
10/29/94, I-15S Baker, CA ,at Kelbaker Rd on-ramp
Curt Byrne
Just got out of jail
On my way home
To see my gal
8/13/95, Route 58E, at downtown Bakersfield, CA, on-ramp
Beautiful girls pass me by
I'm not so ugly, wonder why?
Well here comes one and [cross-out]
Hey, BYE
8/13/95, Route 99S, Bakersfield, CA, at Panama Rd on-ramp
Thunderfoot
alias SEF ERICSSON
Left my home around Santa Ana
Headed for the State of Indiana
5-9-80
12-30-95, I-40E, Barstow, CA, Main St. on-ramp
By setting of sun
In various tones
When you arrive here
You may find my bones
12-30-95, I-10W, Lordsburg, NM, Exit 20 on-ramp
Help
No hope
No dope
No ride
We tried
And died
Scott + Greg 3/6/78
(Conn) (Australia)
7/7/96, Route 99S, Farmerville/Exeter, CA, on-ramp
No war
No KKK
No facist
USA
7/7/96, Route 99N, Tulane, Medford Field on-ramp
Dear Dad
No Mon
No Fun
Dear Son
Too Bad
So Sad
Your Dad
7/12/96, I-5N at SR 152, Santa Nella, CA, on-ramp
Sharie + Kat + Buddy Ford
Cookin in the sun
Who says hitchin ain’t lots of fun
See you at the gathering
5-29-87
7/12/96, I-5N at SR 152, Santa Nella, CA, on-ramp
[Note: the "gathering" referred to here likely was the Rainbow Gathering which, in 1987, occurred in Graham County, North Carolina]
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
And sold it all
(And went to Hawaii)
7/12/96, Route 99N, Fresno, CA, at Olive Ave on-ramp
If I had a smile
For every mile
I would be laughing
For a long while
Charles Joyner
Dillon, SC
8/3/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St. (North) on-ramp
Whistle
If all the world were marbles
There'd be no room to play
Or kids to use em.
Aren't you glad the world turned out this way?
E Fox `68
8/3/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St. (North) on-ramp
I came from a house
Not a home
Where parents is a name
I want not fortune or fame
But a little kindness and a little love
8/4/96, SR-237W /N, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St on-ramp
I wandered thru the forest
Till I came upon a fork.
I took the path less traveled
And it has changed my life
N.P.R.
8/4/96, SR-237W /N, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St. on-ramp
[after The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost]
Morning life
Breeds softness
Into daylight agony
8/11/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Lawrence Expressway on-ramp
People keep saying stay
How can I when I got no place
To lay my tired head
Sorry I might be dead
Get a ride instead
Nirvana
8/11/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Lawrence Expressway on-ramp
March 5th
Do you know the way from San Jose
I'm going south so far I need a car to ride the way...
It's just too fucking far to walk
Brazo from Ventura
8/11/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Lawrence Expressway on-ramp
I was born down on a chicken farm near Nashville Tenn
Wern't nobody there, but a sky full of air
17 billion chickens and me.
Then one day I said hey, hey, hey,
Think I'll drop some LSD.
It blew my mind
I got real kind and set all my chickens free.
There were chickens in the fields, chickens in the barn,
Chickens in the cauliflower, chickens in the corn,
Chickens driving Cadillacs to Washington
When I set my chickens free
Tom Martin
Memorial Day 74
8/11/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Lawrence Expressway on-ramp
The first set of this poems are presented here in order of the date they were logged. The last grouping, are of the “Here I sit, brokenhearted” style, a la verses one might find in any given bathroom stall anywhere in the USA and perhaps anywhere around the globe. That form of verse is often referred to as bathroom poetry or shithouse poetry, of which Alan Dundes (1934-2005), a folklorist at Berkeley, coined the term “latrinalia” in 1965 to refer to graffiti found in restrooms http://dpg.lib.berkeley.edu/webdb/anthpubs/search?all=&volume=34&journal=5&item=10
The word is derived from merging the word latrine, a type of bathroom, with the suffix -alia, which signifies a collection of something of a given genre. The difference here with most of these verses found on light poles is their having a waiting hitchhiker’s bent to them, for which is being coined the term “latroadalia,” after latrinalia, but by merging the terms “latrine,” “road,” and the suffix, “-alia.”
Actual Hitchhiker Poems from the Roadside
Need a ride
Need plenty of money
Need a soft bed
Need plenty of food
8/23/92, I-15N, Las Vegas , NV, at Sahara Ave on-ramp
"Your House Ore Mine"
Geographical in dominations!
Our earth is a womb for souls
More shores to come.
10/29/94, I-15S Baker, CA , at Kelbaker Rd on-ramp
I'm headed nowhere, but everywhere
But someday I might be headed
Somewhere but nowhere
Love to all whites
Maria(?) 7/7/77
Hoboken NJ to
LA Calif and then some maybe
10/29/94, I-15S Baker, CA , at Kelbaker Rd on-ramp
Here at Dawn
Too tired to yawn
Another day has started
10/29/94, I-15S Baker, CA ,at Kelbaker Rd on-ramp
Curt Byrne
Just got out of jail
On my way home
To see my gal
8/13/95, Route 58E, at downtown Bakersfield, CA, on-ramp
Beautiful girls pass me by
I'm not so ugly, wonder why?
Well here comes one and [cross-out]
Hey, BYE
8/13/95, Route 99S, Bakersfield, CA, at Panama Rd on-ramp
Thunderfoot
alias SEF ERICSSON
Left my home around Santa Ana
Headed for the State of Indiana
5-9-80
12-30-95, I-40E, Barstow, CA, Main St. on-ramp
By setting of sun
In various tones
When you arrive here
You may find my bones
12-30-95, I-10W, Lordsburg, NM, Exit 20 on-ramp
Help
No hope
No dope
No ride
We tried
And died
Scott + Greg 3/6/78
(Conn) (Australia)
7/7/96, Route 99S, Farmerville/Exeter, CA, on-ramp
No war
No KKK
No facist
USA
7/7/96, Route 99N, Tulane, Medford Field on-ramp
Dear Dad
No Mon
No Fun
Dear Son
Too Bad
So Sad
Your Dad
7/12/96, I-5N at SR 152, Santa Nella, CA, on-ramp
Sharie + Kat + Buddy Ford
Cookin in the sun
Who says hitchin ain’t lots of fun
See you at the gathering
5-29-87
7/12/96, I-5N at SR 152, Santa Nella, CA, on-ramp
[Note: the "gathering" referred to here likely was the Rainbow Gathering which, in 1987, occurred in Graham County, North Carolina]
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
And sold it all
(And went to Hawaii)
7/12/96, Route 99N, Fresno, CA, at Olive Ave on-ramp
If I had a smile
For every mile
I would be laughing
For a long while
Charles Joyner
Dillon, SC
8/3/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St. (North) on-ramp
Whistle
If all the world were marbles
There'd be no room to play
Or kids to use em.
Aren't you glad the world turned out this way?
E Fox `68
8/3/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St. (North) on-ramp
I came from a house
Not a home
Where parents is a name
I want not fortune or fame
But a little kindness and a little love
8/4/96, SR-237W /N, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St on-ramp
I wandered thru the forest
Till I came upon a fork.
I took the path less traveled
And it has changed my life
N.P.R.
8/4/96, SR-237W /N, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St. on-ramp
[after The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost]
Morning life
Breeds softness
Into daylight agony
8/11/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Lawrence Expressway on-ramp
People keep saying stay
How can I when I got no place
To lay my tired head
Sorry I might be dead
Get a ride instead
Nirvana
8/11/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Lawrence Expressway on-ramp
March 5th
Do you know the way from San Jose
I'm going south so far I need a car to ride the way...
It's just too fucking far to walk
Brazo from Ventura
8/11/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Lawrence Expressway on-ramp
I was born down on a chicken farm near Nashville Tenn
Wern't nobody there, but a sky full of air
17 billion chickens and me.
Then one day I said hey, hey, hey,
Think I'll drop some LSD.
It blew my mind
I got real kind and set all my chickens free.
There were chickens in the fields, chickens in the barn,
Chickens in the cauliflower, chickens in the corn,
Chickens driving Cadillacs to Washington
When I set my chickens free
Tom Martin
Memorial Day 74
8/11/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Lawrence Expressway on-ramp
Great expectations
Great disappointments
Little expectations
Little disappointments
No expectations
No disappointments
Anonomous [sic]
8/11/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Lawrence Expressway on-ramp
This is a fucked
This is a fucked
This is a fucked
This is a fucked place to hitch hike
Maynard - Hessilberg
to Santa Cruz March-70
We can't get a ride so we're going to get stoned.
8-20-96, I-880S, Santa Clara, CA, at First St (east) on-ramp
May a great thumb
Come out of the sky
And squash you basteds [sic]
Passing me by
G. Greene
8/24/96, Route 99N, Modesto, CA, at Route132 on-ramp
Love every person
Love everyone for no reason
It's all in fun
Love your mother, sister, brother, lover, father, one another
We're together; not just people
Love animals and vegetables
Gulls, bulls, squirrels, camels, owls, devils, angels, and cannibals
All love, love, love
Eric Snapping
8/27/96, I-280N Palo Alto, CA, at Page Mill Rd on-ramp
Where lies the eyes
That see the butterfly
And capture all his color?
That thread the sunlight through his wings
Improvising with the wind?
The eyes that pin his pattern spectrum
Mounted on the sky
That starch his spirit and fix his frame
Sealed in symatry [sic]
Where the eyes as fibers in the thread
Weave through ultraviolet
Where the eyes compainted [sic?] in starch and glue
Diffuse the fading parchment
There are eyes that lie beyond the reflections
There are eyes that be amidst refractions
Where lies the eyes that see the butterfly?
-CGN [?]
August 27, 1996, I-280N, Palo Alto, California, Page Mill Road on-ramp
My name is Groovy Venus
My travels are far
Where may I rest,
Where
But lord is always near
Groovy Venus
8/29/96, US-101N , Mountain View, CA , at Shoreline Rd (south) on ramp
Son of love
Son of light
Son of man
Son of might
Son of faith
Son of sight
Son of truth
Son of right
Son of God
Son of Holy Knight
Jesus
US-101S, San Jose/Santa Clara County, CA, at Blossom Hill Rd
Yesterday is faded
Tomorrow is opaque
Today is luminescent
9/3/96, US-101S, E. Palo Alto, CA, at Univ. Ave (north) on ramp
Electric gardens of growing sound
Passing through your head
Follow it off up and down
And you will never leave the ____[?]
9/14/96, I-280S, Palo Alto, CA, at Alpine Rd on-ramp
Pig Nixon you're better off dead
You get no peace of mind
You're bound to fall
`Cause you'll never get us all
And lord we're gonna hang you high
9/18/96, SR-17N, Los Gatos, CA, a t Monte Serra /Downtown (west cross road) on-ramp
Totalic (to lick?) the barbiturate
Sleeps death
Downer, Downer
Sleep speed for breath
Acid crawls for
Fish or flesh
Hashish lulls all
Bangladesh
O cocaine lushes
Or crystal hushes
O spend your dimes
For dime-bag rushes
Pop top bottles of TNT
I'd sooner cross the DMZ
Or spill my guts for Viet Cong
Than have you know
That I am wrong
I lie too well
For you to see
My gums are lined
With STP
12/27/96, I-35 North, Denton, Texas, at Exit 469 on-ramp
Great disappointments
Little expectations
Little disappointments
No expectations
No disappointments
Anonomous [sic]
8/11/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Lawrence Expressway on-ramp
This is a fucked
This is a fucked
This is a fucked
This is a fucked place to hitch hike
Maynard - Hessilberg
to Santa Cruz March-70
We can't get a ride so we're going to get stoned.
8-20-96, I-880S, Santa Clara, CA, at First St (east) on-ramp
May a great thumb
Come out of the sky
And squash you basteds [sic]
Passing me by
G. Greene
8/24/96, Route 99N, Modesto, CA, at Route132 on-ramp
Love every person
Love everyone for no reason
It's all in fun
Love your mother, sister, brother, lover, father, one another
We're together; not just people
Love animals and vegetables
Gulls, bulls, squirrels, camels, owls, devils, angels, and cannibals
All love, love, love
Eric Snapping
8/27/96, I-280N Palo Alto, CA, at Page Mill Rd on-ramp
Where lies the eyes
That see the butterfly
And capture all his color?
That thread the sunlight through his wings
Improvising with the wind?
The eyes that pin his pattern spectrum
Mounted on the sky
That starch his spirit and fix his frame
Sealed in symatry [sic]
Where the eyes as fibers in the thread
Weave through ultraviolet
Where the eyes compainted [sic?] in starch and glue
Diffuse the fading parchment
There are eyes that lie beyond the reflections
There are eyes that be amidst refractions
Where lies the eyes that see the butterfly?
-CGN [?]
August 27, 1996, I-280N, Palo Alto, California, Page Mill Road on-ramp
My name is Groovy Venus
My travels are far
Where may I rest,
Where
But lord is always near
Groovy Venus
8/29/96, US-101N , Mountain View, CA , at Shoreline Rd (south) on ramp
Son of love
Son of light
Son of man
Son of might
Son of faith
Son of sight
Son of truth
Son of right
Son of God
Son of Holy Knight
Jesus
US-101S, San Jose/Santa Clara County, CA, at Blossom Hill Rd
Yesterday is faded
Tomorrow is opaque
Today is luminescent
9/3/96, US-101S, E. Palo Alto, CA, at Univ. Ave (north) on ramp
Electric gardens of growing sound
Passing through your head
Follow it off up and down
And you will never leave the ____[?]
9/14/96, I-280S, Palo Alto, CA, at Alpine Rd on-ramp
Pig Nixon you're better off dead
You get no peace of mind
You're bound to fall
`Cause you'll never get us all
And lord we're gonna hang you high
9/18/96, SR-17N, Los Gatos, CA, a t Monte Serra /Downtown (west cross road) on-ramp
Totalic (to lick?) the barbiturate
Sleeps death
Downer, Downer
Sleep speed for breath
Acid crawls for
Fish or flesh
Hashish lulls all
Bangladesh
O cocaine lushes
Or crystal hushes
O spend your dimes
For dime-bag rushes
Pop top bottles of TNT
I'd sooner cross the DMZ
Or spill my guts for Viet Cong
Than have you know
That I am wrong
I lie too well
For you to see
My gums are lined
With STP
12/27/96, I-35 North, Denton, Texas, at Exit 469 on-ramp
Chuck was here
That's no lie
I've been here
Since July
12/27/96, I-35 North, Denton, Texas, at Exit 469 on-ramp
Juergen Daniel and Mark Brown
Waited here too damn long!
Everyone who passes by better fucking throw a rod
For they can just suck our dong
From Venice, CA
12/27/96, I-35 North, Denton, Texas, at Exit 469 on-ramp
I’d rather stay here
With all the madmen
Then perish with the sad men roaming free.
And I’d rather play here
With all the madmen
For I’m quite content
Their [sic] all the same as me.
↖
Another day
Another ramp
Welcome to our nightmare
Anita K.
Anita W. 8/29/76
4/2/99, I-405S (San Diego Freeway), Irvine, CA, at Culver Dr. on-ramp
[From All the Madmen David Bowie]
Friendship share’s
The spirit of the sky
And the splendor
Of a new day
ADW 76
4/2/99, I-405S (San Diego Freeway), Irvine, CA, at Culver Dr on ramp
Like the time I met her. She loves me still
She gives me peace of mind and soul
And gives herself to me
4/2/99 , I-405S, Irvine, CA , Laguna Freeway/Rt. 133 on-ramp
I was here - west [____]ward bound
Where it’s warmer that I’ve found
Those who stay here
Try to get their brains are hazy
And here you’re really crazy
-annonomous [sic]
8/16/2000, US-101S, Santa Maria , CA, at Santa Maria Way on-ramp
There’s a race that don’t fit in
A race that can’t stay still
So they break the hearts of kith and kin
And travel (roam) the world at will
Robert Forrest
12/31/01, I-84E, near Maybrook, NY, at Route 208 on-ramp
[from The Men That Don't Fit In, a poem by Robert W. Service, ca. 1906]
In the land of eternal darkness
The ship of the sun is drawn
by the Grateful Dead
Keep on keepin on
[words from Egyptian Book of the Dead]
Marc Fast, Richmond, VA
1-4-83 Dead but not grateful
7/23/02, US-101S, Salinas, CA, No. Main St/SR-183 Split, on destination sign in middle of the road
Who do you love
Who do you need
Who do you want
Who do you do (?)
2/1/03, I-8E, Yuma, AZ, at US-95
Requiem for a Freak
We all will die soon or late
For death is all mans final fate
But when I go
All I ask
Let me not linger
Let me go fast
And when you hear that I am gone
Don’t weep for me that’s all wrong
Just come to my funeral so stoned you can’t see
That’s the way I want it to be
You don’t even have to kneel and pray
Just smoke a joint at my grave
For I am bound to [illegible] and [illegible]
Where there’s no pigs to hassle me
So if born to be wild [illegible] my mind
And suddenly you feel really high
And the sweet smell of pot is flowing down from the sky
You’ll know its [illegible]
[illegible] saying [early?]
2/1/03, I-8E, Yuma, AZ, at US-95
[Searching online, this web page from someone called "Beak" was discovered containing this posted but otherwise unpublished poem @ http://freakishbeak.com/pdfs/requiem%20for%20a%20freak.pdf]
That's no lie
I've been here
Since July
12/27/96, I-35 North, Denton, Texas, at Exit 469 on-ramp
Juergen Daniel and Mark Brown
Waited here too damn long!
Everyone who passes by better fucking throw a rod
For they can just suck our dong
From Venice, CA
12/27/96, I-35 North, Denton, Texas, at Exit 469 on-ramp
I’d rather stay here
With all the madmen
Then perish with the sad men roaming free.
And I’d rather play here
With all the madmen
For I’m quite content
Their [sic] all the same as me.
↖
Another day
Another ramp
Welcome to our nightmare
Anita K.
Anita W. 8/29/76
4/2/99, I-405S (San Diego Freeway), Irvine, CA, at Culver Dr. on-ramp
[From All the Madmen David Bowie]
Friendship share’s
The spirit of the sky
And the splendor
Of a new day
ADW 76
4/2/99, I-405S (San Diego Freeway), Irvine, CA, at Culver Dr on ramp
Like the time I met her. She loves me still
She gives me peace of mind and soul
And gives herself to me
4/2/99 , I-405S, Irvine, CA , Laguna Freeway/Rt. 133 on-ramp
I was here - west [____]ward bound
Where it’s warmer that I’ve found
Those who stay here
Try to get their brains are hazy
And here you’re really crazy
-annonomous [sic]
8/16/2000, US-101S, Santa Maria , CA, at Santa Maria Way on-ramp
There’s a race that don’t fit in
A race that can’t stay still
So they break the hearts of kith and kin
And travel (roam) the world at will
Robert Forrest
12/31/01, I-84E, near Maybrook, NY, at Route 208 on-ramp
[from The Men That Don't Fit In, a poem by Robert W. Service, ca. 1906]
In the land of eternal darkness
The ship of the sun is drawn
by the Grateful Dead
Keep on keepin on
[words from Egyptian Book of the Dead]
Marc Fast, Richmond, VA
1-4-83 Dead but not grateful
7/23/02, US-101S, Salinas, CA, No. Main St/SR-183 Split, on destination sign in middle of the road
Who do you love
Who do you need
Who do you want
Who do you do (?)
2/1/03, I-8E, Yuma, AZ, at US-95
Requiem for a Freak
We all will die soon or late
For death is all mans final fate
But when I go
All I ask
Let me not linger
Let me go fast
And when you hear that I am gone
Don’t weep for me that’s all wrong
Just come to my funeral so stoned you can’t see
That’s the way I want it to be
You don’t even have to kneel and pray
Just smoke a joint at my grave
For I am bound to [illegible] and [illegible]
Where there’s no pigs to hassle me
So if born to be wild [illegible] my mind
And suddenly you feel really high
And the sweet smell of pot is flowing down from the sky
You’ll know its [illegible]
[illegible] saying [early?]
2/1/03, I-8E, Yuma, AZ, at US-95
[Searching online, this web page from someone called "Beak" was discovered containing this posted but otherwise unpublished poem @ http://freakishbeak.com/pdfs/requiem%20for%20a%20freak.pdf]
| requiem_for_a_freak.pdf |
No dope
No hope
No ride
I died
2/01/03 I-8, East, Yuma, AZ, @ US 95
Proverbs 14:12 Actual:
There is a way (“There is a way
which seemeth r____ which seemeth right,
Unto a man, but unto man
the end there leadeth(?) but the end thereof are the ways of death”)
2/01/03 I-8, East, Yuma, AZ, @ US 95
Tork
Baby ya know I need all your love
Wish I could see the one I’m speaking of
2/1/03, I-8, East, Winterhaven, CA, a t Winterhaven Dr. on-ramp
“Like a steam locomotive
Rolling down the track,
She’s gone, she’s gone –
And nothin’s gonna bring her back:
SHE’S GONE!!”
[After Grateful Dead song]
tiome whalewise
7 - 80
+ to big sur & north! +
Hope we don’t wait too long
6/21/03 (Summer Solstice), Cal-1/PCH-North, San Luis Obispo, CA, at Cal Poly State Univ. campus
No hope
No ride
I died
2/01/03 I-8, East, Yuma, AZ, @ US 95
Proverbs 14:12 Actual:
There is a way (“There is a way
which seemeth r____ which seemeth right,
Unto a man, but unto man
the end there leadeth(?) but the end thereof are the ways of death”)
2/01/03 I-8, East, Yuma, AZ, @ US 95
Tork
Baby ya know I need all your love
Wish I could see the one I’m speaking of
2/1/03, I-8, East, Winterhaven, CA, a t Winterhaven Dr. on-ramp
“Like a steam locomotive
Rolling down the track,
She’s gone, she’s gone –
And nothin’s gonna bring her back:
SHE’S GONE!!”
[After Grateful Dead song]
tiome whalewise
7 - 80
+ to big sur & north! +
Hope we don’t wait too long
6/21/03 (Summer Solstice), Cal-1/PCH-North, San Luis Obispo, CA, at Cal Poly State Univ. campus
Love is the answer
I can’t think of anything to say.
I’m just movin’ to LA
Ray Rey______(?) 11/20/88
6/21/03 (Summer Solstice), Cal-1/PCH-North, San Luis Obispo, CA, at Cal Poly State Univ. campus
Bitch of a hitch
Jeremy 7/6/00
8/01/03, I-5N, Woodland, CA, at Cal Rt. 113 South
People who write on poles
Are like me,
People who write on poles Ha Ha
8/01/03, I-880N (San Jose) @ Cal237 Split
Rowe rowe
Rowe your boat
Gently down I-40
Merrily merrily down to LA,
Yea yea yea
5/13/04, I-40W, Grants, NM @ Exit 81, Route 547/53 on-ramp
Woe, woe, woe is me
Lord what have I done to thee?
To stick me in a place like this,
Nothing to eat, no place to piss
(drawn sad happy face)
5/13/04, I-40W, Grants, NM @ Exit 81, Route 547/53 on-ramp
Potent Minorities
Winter’s Catharsis
Journey to St. Louis
8/4/04-40E, Gallup, NM, @ US-491 (former US-666) Munoz Dr. on-ramp
Sometime in May
I passed this way
Hurray hurray
J.
5-17 [or 18]/77
7/24/04, I-70W, Denver @ Pecos St on-ramp
Bite the Big Apple
Don’t mind the maggots
This town is in tatters
I’m shattered
My brain’s been battered
[from Rolling Stones Shattered]
11/24/08, I-70 @ I-15 Split, Cove Fort, UT, Exit 132
Roses are red
Violets are blue
We’ve been here a while
And so might you
8/29/09, I-70 @ I-15 Split, Cove Fort, UT, Exit 132
Dope will get you threw
Times of no money
Better than money will get you threw
Times of no dope!
Captain Fantastic
8/30/09, I-25S, Pueblo, CO at Exit 94 on-ramp
I can’t think of anything to say.
I’m just movin’ to LA
Ray Rey______(?) 11/20/88
6/21/03 (Summer Solstice), Cal-1/PCH-North, San Luis Obispo, CA, at Cal Poly State Univ. campus
Bitch of a hitch
Jeremy 7/6/00
8/01/03, I-5N, Woodland, CA, at Cal Rt. 113 South
People who write on poles
Are like me,
People who write on poles Ha Ha
8/01/03, I-880N (San Jose) @ Cal237 Split
Rowe rowe
Rowe your boat
Gently down I-40
Merrily merrily down to LA,
Yea yea yea
5/13/04, I-40W, Grants, NM @ Exit 81, Route 547/53 on-ramp
Woe, woe, woe is me
Lord what have I done to thee?
To stick me in a place like this,
Nothing to eat, no place to piss
(drawn sad happy face)
5/13/04, I-40W, Grants, NM @ Exit 81, Route 547/53 on-ramp
Potent Minorities
Winter’s Catharsis
Journey to St. Louis
8/4/04-40E, Gallup, NM, @ US-491 (former US-666) Munoz Dr. on-ramp
Sometime in May
I passed this way
Hurray hurray
J.
5-17 [or 18]/77
7/24/04, I-70W, Denver @ Pecos St on-ramp
Bite the Big Apple
Don’t mind the maggots
This town is in tatters
I’m shattered
My brain’s been battered
[from Rolling Stones Shattered]
11/24/08, I-70 @ I-15 Split, Cove Fort, UT, Exit 132
Roses are red
Violets are blue
We’ve been here a while
And so might you
8/29/09, I-70 @ I-15 Split, Cove Fort, UT, Exit 132
Dope will get you threw
Times of no money
Better than money will get you threw
Times of no dope!
Captain Fantastic
8/30/09, I-25S, Pueblo, CO at Exit 94 on-ramp
We gave dope
We have hope
We have no ride
8/30/09, I-25S, Pueblo, CO at Exit 94 on-ramp
Cosmic Denny
With a silver penny
10/24/91
8/30/09, I-25S Wagon Mound, NM @ exit 387 on-ramp
We have hope
We have no ride
8/30/09, I-25S, Pueblo, CO at Exit 94 on-ramp
Cosmic Denny
With a silver penny
10/24/91
8/30/09, I-25S Wagon Mound, NM @ exit 387 on-ramp
♫ ♪
“Take a Dive
On I-25”
8/30/09, I-25S, Las Vegas, NM @ exit 343 on-ramp
“Take a Dive
On I-25”
8/30/09, I-25S, Las Vegas, NM @ exit 343 on-ramp
Remember
That
Its
A
Hard
World
Very
Very
Hard
Yes
Hard
It
Is
Hard
8/30/09, I-25S, Las Vegas, NM @ exit 343 on-ramp
That
Its
A
Hard
World
Very
Very
Hard
Yes
Hard
It
Is
Hard
8/30/09, I-25S, Las Vegas, NM @ exit 343 on-ramp
The only dif. from a
Cowboy and a cow
One’s a steer
One’s a queer
7/27/12, I-80W Elko, NV @ exit 298 on-ramp
I am the boy
Who can enjoy
Invisibility
J. Joyce
7/27/12, I-80W Elko, NV @ exit 298 on-ramp
Cowboy and a cow
One’s a steer
One’s a queer
7/27/12, I-80W Elko, NV @ exit 298 on-ramp
I am the boy
Who can enjoy
Invisibility
J. Joyce
7/27/12, I-80W Elko, NV @ exit 298 on-ramp
7/3/99, I-80E Winnemucca East Exit on ramp
I sat for forty days
To think of different ways
To get a ride from this fucking place
These assholes the human race
Mark S.
7/20/89
7/29/12, I-80 Elko, NV at Exit 303 (East Elko) on-ramp
You are broke,
I’ve got bread
Dope, beer,
Safeway
Is right there
But you got water
Milk, bread, meat
I have a stove?
You’re d___?
You’re dead meat
I’m stuffed
7/29/12, I-80E Elko, NV at exit 301
I did as I wanted
I suggest you do the same,
Seek the fortune,
Fuck the fame.
Better hay there
Than Byers Colo
Too(?)
Dave
On the way to
FLA
10-__-83
12/14/2012, I-70E, Byers CO at Exit 315 on-ramp
To think of different ways
To get a ride from this fucking place
These assholes the human race
Mark S.
7/20/89
7/29/12, I-80 Elko, NV at Exit 303 (East Elko) on-ramp
You are broke,
I’ve got bread
Dope, beer,
Safeway
Is right there
But you got water
Milk, bread, meat
I have a stove?
You’re d___?
You’re dead meat
I’m stuffed
7/29/12, I-80E Elko, NV at exit 301
I did as I wanted
I suggest you do the same,
Seek the fortune,
Fuck the fame.
Better hay there
Than Byers Colo
Too(?)
Dave
On the way to
FLA
10-__-83
12/14/2012, I-70E, Byers CO at Exit 315 on-ramp
Here I am
On the road again
There I go again
On the stage
[from Turn the Page, Bob Seger 1973]
12/15/2012, I-70E Denver, CO @ Colorado St/CO Rt. 2, Exit 272 on-ramp
On the road again
There I go again
On the stage
[from Turn the Page, Bob Seger 1973]
12/15/2012, I-70E Denver, CO @ Colorado St/CO Rt. 2, Exit 272 on-ramp
*************************************************************************
“Lat-road-alia”
Poems that are similar in format to bathroom-focused rhymes, but with a hitchhiker's frame of reference.
Here I sit
All broken-hearted.
Tryed [sic] to hitch a ride
But only farted.
What more can I say,
What more can I do
Except you asshole
Are stuck here too.
8/13/95, Route 99N (near Bakersfield, CA) at Pumpkin Center/Route 119 on-ramp
Since your reading these words of wit
You know this town is shit
The Toadstool
3/8/80 [smiling mushroom drawn]
12-30-95, I-10W, Lordsburg, NM, Exit 20 on-ramp
Hear [sic] I set
Broken harted [sic]
Tried to shit or ride
And only farted
4/16/89
17
18
19
20 Fuck
7/12/96, Route 99N Fresno, CA, at Olive Ave on-ramp
Dave Morgan
West VA to LA
With dope there's hope
With booze you lose
8/3/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St (North) on-ramp
He who writes on hiway poles
Stuffs his shit rite up his nose
8/3/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St (North) on-ramp
A prayer for those who hike here
May the next ride buy you a beer
And if you have no luck standing here
Have a seat and think of a beer.
8/4/96, SR-237W /N, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St on-ramp
I was shit on a rock and hachit [hatched?]
Lay in the sun
Sworn to fun
Love to none
Duke Wayne Ellsworth 12-12-82
8-23-96, I-280S, Cupertino, CA, at Sunnyvale-Saratoga Rd on-ramp
Chowchilla Mike and Danny was here
But now they're gone
They left there [sic] names to carry on.
Those who knew them knew them well
Those who didn't can go to hell
8/24/96, Route 99N, Turlock CA, at Landers Ave on-ramp
Here I stand broken hearted
Without love because I'm too open hearted
Love the Lord Allen Powers
8/24/96, Route 99N, Turlock CA, at Central Ave on-ramp
Gay is a gas.
Don't fight it do it.
Don't bite it chew it
And there's money in it too.
I hope to get a ride soon.
You shouldn't keep the customer waiting
I've heard
Bye Ferdina 1$75.
8/27/96, I-280N, Los Altos Hills, CA, at El Monte Rd on-ramp
Here I am
Stoned and grumpy
This is where
That fucker dumped me
9/15/9 6, US-101N, Gilroy, CA, at Monterey Rd on ramp
Here I stand in need of a ride
My backpack by my side
Wishing I had one to roast
Cause I'm bound for the east coast
Drew 2/24/88?
9/18/96, SR-17S, Campbell, CA, at Hamilton Ave on-ramp
If this is a bad dream
Wake me up by tickling
My clitty until I cream
7/27/97, I-40E, Kingman, AZ, at Andy Devine Ave on-ramp
I’ve been rejected
And I’m disgusted
Been sitting here so long
I think I’ve rusted
Life on the road
Can be pretty nice
Except when your ears
Start turning to ice
4/2/99, I-405S, Irvine, CA, Laguna Freeway/Rt. 133 on-ramp
In sumer when the shawes be sheyne
and leves be large and longe
yt ys ful merrie in faire foreste
to here the fowlys songe
to see the deere drawe to the dale
and leve the hilles hee
and shadowe hem in the leves grene
under the grene wode tre
7/12/97,I-10E, Waterman Ave/Redlands Boulevard cloverleaf on-ramp
“Lat-road-alia”
Poems that are similar in format to bathroom-focused rhymes, but with a hitchhiker's frame of reference.
Here I sit
All broken-hearted.
Tryed [sic] to hitch a ride
But only farted.
What more can I say,
What more can I do
Except you asshole
Are stuck here too.
8/13/95, Route 99N (near Bakersfield, CA) at Pumpkin Center/Route 119 on-ramp
Since your reading these words of wit
You know this town is shit
The Toadstool
3/8/80 [smiling mushroom drawn]
12-30-95, I-10W, Lordsburg, NM, Exit 20 on-ramp
Hear [sic] I set
Broken harted [sic]
Tried to shit or ride
And only farted
4/16/89
17
18
19
20 Fuck
7/12/96, Route 99N Fresno, CA, at Olive Ave on-ramp
Dave Morgan
West VA to LA
With dope there's hope
With booze you lose
8/3/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St (North) on-ramp
He who writes on hiway poles
Stuffs his shit rite up his nose
8/3/96, US-101S, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St (North) on-ramp
A prayer for those who hike here
May the next ride buy you a beer
And if you have no luck standing here
Have a seat and think of a beer.
8/4/96, SR-237W /N, Sunnyvale, CA, at Mathilda St on-ramp
I was shit on a rock and hachit [hatched?]
Lay in the sun
Sworn to fun
Love to none
Duke Wayne Ellsworth 12-12-82
8-23-96, I-280S, Cupertino, CA, at Sunnyvale-Saratoga Rd on-ramp
Chowchilla Mike and Danny was here
But now they're gone
They left there [sic] names to carry on.
Those who knew them knew them well
Those who didn't can go to hell
8/24/96, Route 99N, Turlock CA, at Landers Ave on-ramp
Here I stand broken hearted
Without love because I'm too open hearted
Love the Lord Allen Powers
8/24/96, Route 99N, Turlock CA, at Central Ave on-ramp
Gay is a gas.
Don't fight it do it.
Don't bite it chew it
And there's money in it too.
I hope to get a ride soon.
You shouldn't keep the customer waiting
I've heard
Bye Ferdina 1$75.
8/27/96, I-280N, Los Altos Hills, CA, at El Monte Rd on-ramp
Here I am
Stoned and grumpy
This is where
That fucker dumped me
9/15/9 6, US-101N, Gilroy, CA, at Monterey Rd on ramp
Here I stand in need of a ride
My backpack by my side
Wishing I had one to roast
Cause I'm bound for the east coast
Drew 2/24/88?
9/18/96, SR-17S, Campbell, CA, at Hamilton Ave on-ramp
If this is a bad dream
Wake me up by tickling
My clitty until I cream
7/27/97, I-40E, Kingman, AZ, at Andy Devine Ave on-ramp
I’ve been rejected
And I’m disgusted
Been sitting here so long
I think I’ve rusted
Life on the road
Can be pretty nice
Except when your ears
Start turning to ice
4/2/99, I-405S, Irvine, CA, Laguna Freeway/Rt. 133 on-ramp
In sumer when the shawes be sheyne
and leves be large and longe
yt ys ful merrie in faire foreste
to here the fowlys songe
to see the deere drawe to the dale
and leve the hilles hee
and shadowe hem in the leves grene
under the grene wode tre
7/12/97,I-10E, Waterman Ave/Redlands Boulevard cloverleaf on-ramp
My car broke down
I’m re[p?]remanded
Here I stand
Totally stranded
JW 10-26-86
4/3/99, I-405N, Irvine, CA, at MacArthur Blvd on-ramp
Heck’s Beck
Lead a trek
To find Mecca
You’ll be a wreck
7/3/99, I-80W, Carlin, NV, Exit 280 on ramp
Born on a Mt
Raised in a cave
Truckin & fuckin
Is all that I crave
7/3/99, I-80E, Battle Mountain East, Exit #233) on-ramp
For you who read these words of wit
Better get ready for a little sit
And what to do with idle time
Maybe have a drink of wine
Under yonder board it does lay
I hope it will comfort your stay
It was good wine
7/12/99, Kettleman City, California, at I-5 North on-ramp at State Route 41 interchange
Hoyt and Norris
Having fun
12-9-91
7/13/99, I-5S, NW Fresno County, Panoche Rd on-ramp
Life is good
Life is cool
But don’t get stuck
In Chowchilla fool!!?
7/13/99, Route 99S, Chowchilla, CA, Robertson Blvd/Ave 26 on-ramp
Smokin tuff
All through the day
We smoked it all
So here we lay
We hope tomorrow’s a better day
That no longer
Here we’ll lay
Steve and “Thee” [Thez?]
Washington to S.L.O. - CA to WA
7/13/99, I-5N @ Kettleman City/Cal 41 on ramp
Son of a bitch
I feel as wet as
A watery ditch
3/4/71 Mike
7/23/0 2, US-101S, Salinas, CA , at North Main St/SR-183 Split (on destination sign in middle of road)
Dorri was here
And now is gone
But leaves her soul
To carry on ↖
8-14-75
2/1/03, I-8E, Yuma, AZ, at US- 95
Here we are
Broke & Busted
Lost & Found
Can’t be trusted
2/2/03, I-8E, Gila Bend, AZ, at AZ-85S/ Exit 115 on-ramp
Here I stand
in a cloud of vapor
Some jerk stoled [sic] my toilet paper
I cannot stay
I cannot linger
Look out asshole
here comes my finger
8/4/04, I-40W, Tucumcari, NM, Exit 329 on-ramp
Here I sit
Broken hearted
Did the last bong hit
And the rides didn’t start yet
7/23/13, I-80E at Golconda, NV, Exit 194 on-ramp
I’m re[p?]remanded
Here I stand
Totally stranded
JW 10-26-86
4/3/99, I-405N, Irvine, CA, at MacArthur Blvd on-ramp
Heck’s Beck
Lead a trek
To find Mecca
You’ll be a wreck
7/3/99, I-80W, Carlin, NV, Exit 280 on ramp
Born on a Mt
Raised in a cave
Truckin & fuckin
Is all that I crave
7/3/99, I-80E, Battle Mountain East, Exit #233) on-ramp
For you who read these words of wit
Better get ready for a little sit
And what to do with idle time
Maybe have a drink of wine
Under yonder board it does lay
I hope it will comfort your stay
It was good wine
7/12/99, Kettleman City, California, at I-5 North on-ramp at State Route 41 interchange
Hoyt and Norris
Having fun
12-9-91
7/13/99, I-5S, NW Fresno County, Panoche Rd on-ramp
Life is good
Life is cool
But don’t get stuck
In Chowchilla fool!!?
7/13/99, Route 99S, Chowchilla, CA, Robertson Blvd/Ave 26 on-ramp
Smokin tuff
All through the day
We smoked it all
So here we lay
We hope tomorrow’s a better day
That no longer
Here we’ll lay
Steve and “Thee” [Thez?]
Washington to S.L.O. - CA to WA
7/13/99, I-5N @ Kettleman City/Cal 41 on ramp
Son of a bitch
I feel as wet as
A watery ditch
3/4/71 Mike
7/23/0 2, US-101S, Salinas, CA , at North Main St/SR-183 Split (on destination sign in middle of road)
Dorri was here
And now is gone
But leaves her soul
To carry on ↖
8-14-75
2/1/03, I-8E, Yuma, AZ, at US- 95
Here we are
Broke & Busted
Lost & Found
Can’t be trusted
2/2/03, I-8E, Gila Bend, AZ, at AZ-85S/ Exit 115 on-ramp
Here I stand
in a cloud of vapor
Some jerk stoled [sic] my toilet paper
I cannot stay
I cannot linger
Look out asshole
here comes my finger
8/4/04, I-40W, Tucumcari, NM, Exit 329 on-ramp
Here I sit
Broken hearted
Did the last bong hit
And the rides didn’t start yet
7/23/13, I-80E at Golconda, NV, Exit 194 on-ramp
