The Legend of Rusty the Wagon: A true story in quarantine

The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic and the planet’s astonishing response has created a world that is all but unrecognizable. We are all finding ourselves in situations that we never could have imagined. I’ve been spending the quarantine in downtown San Luis Obispo, once considered the happiest place on earth.

But today I sit here separated from my wife and children on the other side of the globe. And as I look out the window, I see a formerly vibrant shopping district in which legions of mentally ill, homeless men and women now own the streets.

Around the world, people are suffering from this epidemic in all kinds of ways. Millions are being hospitalized, and many thousands have already lost their lives to the deadly virus. Meanwhile, tens of millions are losing their jobs and their ability to feed their families. And millions more are losing their minds.

It was under these chilling circumstances that I came up with the following story, largely inspired by true events.

The Legend of Rusty the Wagon

The shopping wagon parked outside is rusting in the rain
The gutter gathers muddy waters heading for the drain
Afraid he’s lost I call for help to roll him back to Vons
Or Smart & Final, Trader Joe’s, wherever he belongs
But minutes later, sure enough, the wagon’s on his way
It seems as if he’s found a friend to travel with today
With beard, tattoos and worn out shoes, and looking for a meal
And off they go, the man with a limp, and the cart with a wobbly wheel

The next week I go walking, picking flowers by the creek
But in the bushes, something strange, I lean to take a peek
That same old wagon all alone and sinking in the mud
The rust has now begun to show, all reddish brown like blood
I head back home to fetch some rope to rescue this poor thing
But someone else has found him first, a woman who can sing
And sing she does, and speaks to him, as if they’re friends for real
One at a time, she’s sharing her thoughts, with the cart with a wobbly wheel

The next day I can hear them as they’re rolling down the street
They’re looking somewhat haggard but her voice it can’t be beat
Today she isn’t pushing him, it’s she who sits inside
A young man does the steering as he takes them for a ride
There’s something out of place I think, but who can say it’s wrong?
As boxcar diva serenades the neighbors with her song
And while she sings, he plays guitar, on strings made out of steel
An exceptional concert performed in the rusty old cart with a wobbly wheel

For days to come I wait and see no shopping cart in sight
Just skateboards, cars and bikes galore, through morning, noon and night
But pulling in the lot one morning, running rather late
I park my car and see the wagon smashed against the gate
So blame it on a reckless driver, careless and aloof
Or maybe just some rowdy kids who rolled it off the roof
Another tragic tragic accident to lessen its appeal
Now muddy and rusty with many deep dents, the old cart with a wobbly wheel

Now thinking I can be of service rescuing the cart
I lead him to the parking lot before he falls apart
The shopping center spectacle, consumers on the go
But will our friend find safety here? I truly do not know
The other wagons look our way and cannot hide their doubt
I worry that my battered bud will sadly be cast out
Embarrassed by his checkered past with scars he can’t conceal
Surrounded by glamorous shiny new wagons, all rust on a wobbly wheel

Is there anyone who wants this wreck, or anyone who cares?
Perhaps they’ll dump him out in back among the damaged wares
Will others judge him by his dents, or by his many years?
The carts who’ve never left the lot are held there by their fears
But Rusty knows a thing or two, he’s travelled across the land
He’s got more stories than he’ll count on any given hand
He’s educated on the streets, and knows because he feels
He’s paid his dues and he’s learned how to roll back forth on his wobbly wheels

A rusty, crusty, wizened wagon waits outside the door
He’s hoping for a helping hand, a gesture for the poor
And as he thought it, so it was, a lady turned to him
I see you’ve got some character, let’s take you for a spin
I know some folks around these parts without enough to eat
Let’s make a hundred sandwiches with veggies, cheese or meat
A little food, a lot of love, and all good things that heal
Delivered by a gentle soul and a rust bucket missing a wheel

And so they fed the neighborhood and filled the streets with smiles
And afterwards they made their way to cross the open miles
And never rolling straight in line but always with a twist
The two they talked and laughed and maybe once they even kissed
But three wheels with a crooked basket doesn’t roll for long
Eventually he’ll park for good with courage ever strong
So navigate the roads of life and follow what you feel
With all your trust and all your heart like the cart with a wobbly wheel

The Legend of Rusty the Wagon

Further Reading

In the beginning was the worm

10 Honey-Tongued Limericks about Shakespeare

Love poems from lockdown: A work of fiction