Antiques & Elders — from the Badlands Highway Writer

Antiques or Elders
By Dave Wilson

We see them sitting by the wayside of the American dream. In fact, they are so common we hardly notice them at all anymore.

Antiques OR Elders?

Most are out of sight, out of mind. At some time they were the most important part of our lives. Vital to our very existence. Had it not been for the loads they bore for us we, more than likely, would not be alive. For the most part, the work they did on our behalf went unseen, unnoticed, unappreciated.

There is a current trend, a movement, to find them. Bring them in. Welcome them home. Clean them up. Revitalize them. Dress them up and take them out. Others prefer to leave them in their raw glory and just help make them mobile again. They gather with like-minded people and adore them.

Lucky and blessed

These are the lucky and the blessed. Many are left by the wayside at the mercy of the elements.

Others are rounded up and moved to locations where they continue to waste away, ignored, while corporate entities capitalize on their demise.

Oh, the stories they could tell. The memories built around them. Dreams that get crushed and sold to the highest bidder. The sands of time take their toll.

How will you remember them?

Dave Wilson is a truck driver who lives in Mandan and frequently drives through the North Dakota Badlands. He’s had a varied professional career, even doing some grant writing, but this is his first venture into creative writing. Encourage him!

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