Detroit Roundabout

In Detroit City despite the recession,
Juan O’Day began a business no less.
It was a record store with varied artists,
Seger, The Beatles, Madonna and Yes.

O’Day was okay with risking his savings,
he knew that music would touch heart and soul.
So with the bank’s help he set up his business,
banking on basic crave for rock and roll.

  (Plus Juan departed from Zihuatanejo;
    he came to Detroit to start a new life.
    He figured Michigan might be a bargain.
    now that the reaper had taken his wife.)

Juan sighed when he put the sign in the window;
Open for Business is what the sign said.
He wiped a tear with the cuff of his shirt sleeve,
thinking about all the grief he had fed.

Business was slow as the music played lonely,
Juan thought incentive could be just the thing.
He put out snacks that included hot tapas--
through ceiling speakers he hear Journey sing.

  (Juan learned of this cuisine from his departed;
  she came from Spain and could cook with a flair.
  Along with olives Juan added pod peppers,
  so to his customers he warned, “Beware!”)

Then like a machine with fine inner workings,
his record store became patronized more.
Juan O’Day felt like a zeppelin lifted,
and on a stairway to Heaven he’d soar.

Still there were times when he felt broken hearted,
but he’d spin records and even CD’s.
Mountains came out of the sky and just stood there,
and such a sight brought O’Day to his knees.

Juan pulled a letter from out of his pocket;
his wife had written it when love was new.
Juan felt a fragileness deep down inside him,
when he again read, I’ll be there with you.

As he composed himself behind the counter,
a quiet customer gave him a start.
He answered when she inquired about him:
I am the “Owner of a lonely heart”.


40 Lines
Writer’s Cramp
January 17, 2014

Requirements:
--Detroit City
--bargain
--tapas
--machine
--”Owner of a lonely heart”