Outside the Show
I happened to find myself
in the downtown area of a small town.
The streets were bustling with people,
and old cars lined the road.
It was the town’s annual
classic car and hot rod show.
Music from the ’60s and ’70s filled the air.
Most of the songs were familiar.
The old cars and the music of their time
seemed to belong together.
People gathered around the cars,
chatting and taking pictures.
Most of the cars on display were fifty or sixty years old,
some nearly a century old.
Yet, as if the years meant nothing,
they stood side by side, each showing off its own beauty.
One stood alone in front of a clean-lined building.
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Even its engine and interior were spotless.
It was easy to imagine how much care
had gone into keeping it that way.
Its exterior gleamed wherever the light touched it.
But outside the show,
a rusted car was parked along the street.
Inside the show, each car stood in its own place,
as if telling its own story.
The rusted car simply stood by the roadside.
People walked past it.
Its exterior was covered in rust, and the interior was worn.
Faded stickers clung to the rear window.
How many roads had it traveled?
How much wind and rain had it weathered?
With all those dazzling cars on display,
what first caught my eye
was a rusted car parked outside the show.
Originally published at https://hallelujah.com on October 18, 2026.
