Tin cans

   Mornings warmth will soon give way to scorching heat that fills you with a vision of hell. Birds grow silent, and stray dogs and cats seek out a cooler place beneath the houses scattered along this forgotten stretch of desert road.

   I never could figure out why that first mobile home was set down slab dab in the middle of a treeless burning spot from hell? And others followed creating an entire community of people dwelling in oversized tin cans

   Lined up row after row the metal capsules all looking the same, just sat there absorbing heat and daring anyone to touch them. No outside chairs or tables. No gardens with flowers, just a few fake daisies that were probably stolen from the makeshift graveyard down the road a piece.

   Cars sat silent the desert dust hiding their true colors. Some were sleeping on flat tires that would wait to be changed when things got cooler and activity stirred inside the park. And, the dust continued to build

   Held prisoners inside a ten by 30 space, to some a mansion compared to the jail cells they more often than not called home. What occupied their time? You could tell the cans that received outside information by the massive antennas bolted down to the roofs allowing for hours, days, weeks, and months of game shows and soap operas.

   But what about the others, what did they do all day and night for vast amounts of time? How many puzzles can you build, how long will that knitted blanket be? You hear music coming from some  that keeps playing hour after hour, the same old songs from singers long ago forgotten

   It won't be long now, and the intense heat will give way to cooler days and cold nights. The doors will open, and they will cautiously step outside looking to the sky as if making sure nothing had changed since they last saw it.

   The cars will be dusted off, and tires changed for the journey into town to stock up on refreshments and new puzzles. Maybe a haircut or quick visit with the post office to be sure no checks were left undelivered.

   The tin can community slab dab in the middle of hell on earth is a special place and not for the faint of heart. It takes guts to live here, and few survive more than one summer. Your welcome to try as there's always a vacancy for those who want a preview of eternal damnation

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