PAYING FOR THAT FREE CUP OF COFFEE
Dean Wilson
Eking out this road trip
Scrimping, saving, surviving
Somewhere between a frugal gourmet
And a dumpster diver.
Not quite changing from
A can of House Red to
A bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Not quite ready, not quite yet.
I chose cafés that
Honored senior citizens
55 and older while pondering
Unaccepted offers from AARP.
Free refills are a blessing in disguise,
Like the toss of a coin:
Never knowing the outcome
Until it’s too late.
Driving faster to pay
For time spent drinking
That needed extra cup of caffeine;
My drug of choice.
“No Services Next 90 Miles”
The sign revealed.
I had plenty of fuel to go
That extra mile.
The next corner revealed a line
Of 10 MPH, of bumper to bumper.
That extra cup doesn’t seem
Like a good deal after all.

Dean Wilson
Born in Oregon, our family moved around a lot. I used my first camera, a 126-roll film from the 1960s, very infrequently. Progressing through the Instamatic days of the 1970s, I bought my first SLT in 1976. This eventually led to a DSLR in 2015 and mirrorless from 2019. Photography is a passion for me that allows me to capture a feeling, mood, or a moment in time that tells a story. I capture landscapes with a creative eye of a place that may have existed for thousands of years or in the blink of an eye, which may suddenly disappear tomorrow.
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Instagram ~ @DeanWilsonCanby
Facebook ~ Dean Wilson Photography

