Walking a lonely road? Here's how to brighten it up: make up a song, win prizes

Spaulding High English teach Monique Shutt takes a break from remote teaching to get some fresh air during a walk on Poplar Hill Road in Lebanon , Maine, on Thursday. By the way if you see Aurelia today, wish her happy birthday. (Rochester Voice photos)

I walked a lonely road on Thursday, but found beauty, relaxation, introspection and even an occasional interaction with a fellow humanoid with whom we spoke at length ... as in a length of six feet apart.

On Poplar Hill Road in West Lebanon, Maine, we met up with chickens, trees festooned with Bud Light cans, a boat graveyard and a Spaulding High English teacher taking a break from remote teaching to enjoy a walk outside with her daughter.

Monique Shutt, and her daughter, Aurelia, 5, were walking in the opposite direction and as we neared, we greeted each other from afar.

As we introduced each other and conversed a while, I learned that Monique was an English teacher at Spaulding High. Since I was also an English teacher, we had plenty to talk about as you might imagine. I found out, as I expected, teaching students has changed very little since the 1980s when I was in the classroom.

Sadly the Shutts were the only folks I met along my three-mile walk.

But there was still plenty else to take note of.

A couple of free range chickens strut their stuff on Poplar Hill Road.

For instance I went past several houses that had stereos blasting, with only the low bass beats emanating from behind closed windows. That tells me while Monique was busy most of the day with remote teaching, there were probably a few kids that were doing their "remote learning" to blaring rap or pop.

At one point on Poplar Hill Road I was approached by a pair of chickens who would have come out into the street if I hadn't walked quickly away. Guess no one told them about social distancing.

Soon after escaping the birds most fowl, I noticed a glimmering in a tree and spied an empty Bud Light can hanging on a thin branch end.

Someone has some Martha Stewart in them, and too much time on their hands..

A few minutes later I saw four or five more on another tree. Apparently this is some sort of phenomenon on Poplar Hill, this practice of decorating trees with Bud Light cans.

I like it, but not a full one among them.

Lastly on Poplar Hill, I saw a couple of rusted, old boats in the woods and instantly wondered if these vessels belonged to the guys that caught the land shark up on Teneriffe Mountain a few years back and got this far before they ran out of gas.

Oh, you never heard about that? It was in all the papers, including the former Lebanon Voice.

DRY DOCKED: A couple of boats you could probably get a deal on.

It was after that that I began to think about "I walk a lonely road" by Greenday and then began to think about other songs that applied to shall we just call it "the current situation."

You've probably heard about Neil Diamond doing "Sweet Caroline" singing, "Sweet Caroline ... wash your hands" or another pandemic parody to the tune of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."

You could do the Meatloaf song that has "Stop Right There, I want to know right now" or Huey Lewis' "I want a new drug."

So here's the contest the headline teased:

Think up a parody using a hit song most people have heard of.

Rules:

Must have at least three stanzas, or verses (four lines minimum), and one chorus that repeats.

Must be a song most people know. Use your judgment.

Then email them to therochestervoice@aol.com with the name of the song it's sung to. You can also email a link if you've uploaded your song to youtube.

Local professional musicians are also invited to enter.

First prize, a signed copy of my novel, Freak The News, which will be disinfected before it is mailed to you and two annual subscriptions to The Rochester Voice guaranteed to be virus free.

Second prize, two virus-free annual subscriptions to The Rochester Voice.

Third prize, one annual subscription to The Rochester Voice.

To get your creative juices flowing, here is a link to a woman from Berwick, Maine, who already did one. It's pretty good. If you know her, you should have her email me to enter the song.

Click here to hear it.