Potter County, Pennsylania photo (Nicholas A. Tonelli) ‘Roads of Potter County’: A Poem by Frank Rable The Society June 4, 2025 Culture, Humor, Poetry 11 Comments . Roads of Potter County Finally Spring has come north here—Always my favorite time of year.Potter will tease you in some way—Tomorrow might be a snowy day. Instead there came the green of grass,The white of snow its height surpassed.I rode and mowed without a pain,Across the lawn I would maintain. But Potter’s roads my curse remains.The holey asphalt and the bumpy lanes,While down the road slow trucks I pass,Inflicting torment on back and ass. . . Frank Rable is a poet living in Pennsylvania. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. ***Read Our Comments Policy Here*** 11 Responses Roy Eugene Peterson June 4, 2025 Potter’s potholes seem like those where I live. There is both a humor side and a well-expressed frustration side to your poem. Reply Paul A. Freeman June 4, 2025 A lovely dose of humour to start the day. Thanks for the read, Frank, and sorry about the bruised butt. Reply Frank Rable June 4, 2025 Thank you for your comment Roy. I have a good friend who lives there year round. The works of God in Potter County are beautifully manifest. Some refer to it as “God’s Country”. The works of man there, particularly secondary roads, do not show a similar devotion to the task. Reply Frank Rable June 4, 2025 The bruised butt belongs to a good friend who is a pastor there. He doesn’t just stay put. He gets around to where he is needed, despite the real pain he feels. He’s not complaining so much as noting the irony that cutting the lawn gives a smoother ride. In my mind, if there is irony, there must be humor, and there must be a poem in it. Paul, I’m happy to start off your day by sharing my poem with you and I thank you for reading it. Reply Russel Winick June 4, 2025 Haven’t been there, but I can relate. Nice work, Frank. Reply Frank Rable June 4, 2025 Thank you, Russel, I appreciate that. Reply Stephanie Pickering June 4, 2025 I thoroughly enjoyed this, I close my eyes and can feel each pothole pitching the vehicle to and fro. It is nice to see that potholes are one thing that unites us all as Americans. Reply Frank Rable June 5, 2025 Thank you, Stephanie! I ‘m glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you dodge the potholes. All of them. Now you reminded me of something I was told about the Minneapolis area. It is said that they only have two seasons, which are Winter and Road Repair. Reply Margaret Coats June 5, 2025 Frank, my dad’s family is from the Pottsville area (Schuylkill County) where roads seem the same–until summer arrives and the entire state settles down to slowed traffic during continual road repair. I suppose there would be less torment if we could get where we’re going by unhindered driving on lawns! Reply Frank Rable June 5, 2025 Yes, Margaret, you’re right about that, I think. A nice smooth lawn instead of the Penndot version of smooth asphalt. Reply Christian Muller June 6, 2025 Lovely poem. Excellent iambic tetrameter, with some healthy breaks in the rhythm. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Roy Eugene Peterson June 4, 2025 Potter’s potholes seem like those where I live. There is both a humor side and a well-expressed frustration side to your poem. Reply
Paul A. Freeman June 4, 2025 A lovely dose of humour to start the day. Thanks for the read, Frank, and sorry about the bruised butt. Reply
Frank Rable June 4, 2025 Thank you for your comment Roy. I have a good friend who lives there year round. The works of God in Potter County are beautifully manifest. Some refer to it as “God’s Country”. The works of man there, particularly secondary roads, do not show a similar devotion to the task. Reply
Frank Rable June 4, 2025 The bruised butt belongs to a good friend who is a pastor there. He doesn’t just stay put. He gets around to where he is needed, despite the real pain he feels. He’s not complaining so much as noting the irony that cutting the lawn gives a smoother ride. In my mind, if there is irony, there must be humor, and there must be a poem in it. Paul, I’m happy to start off your day by sharing my poem with you and I thank you for reading it. Reply
Stephanie Pickering June 4, 2025 I thoroughly enjoyed this, I close my eyes and can feel each pothole pitching the vehicle to and fro. It is nice to see that potholes are one thing that unites us all as Americans. Reply
Frank Rable June 5, 2025 Thank you, Stephanie! I ‘m glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you dodge the potholes. All of them. Now you reminded me of something I was told about the Minneapolis area. It is said that they only have two seasons, which are Winter and Road Repair. Reply
Margaret Coats June 5, 2025 Frank, my dad’s family is from the Pottsville area (Schuylkill County) where roads seem the same–until summer arrives and the entire state settles down to slowed traffic during continual road repair. I suppose there would be less torment if we could get where we’re going by unhindered driving on lawns! Reply
Frank Rable June 5, 2025 Yes, Margaret, you’re right about that, I think. A nice smooth lawn instead of the Penndot version of smooth asphalt. Reply
Christian Muller June 6, 2025 Lovely poem. Excellent iambic tetrameter, with some healthy breaks in the rhythm. Reply