Road To Tishamingo

Went down to the crossroads
Thinking I might sell
My everlasting soul
To the devil but
He said he wasn’t interested
Seems in this troubled
Economy souls are selling cheap.

Seeing as how I
Did not play the guitar anyway
I decided perhaps he was right
Besides, he said, even if
The economy was good and
He didn’t have a waiting list
He wouldn’t want my soul
Seeing as how I like to argue
He was afraid I would drive
Him and the rest of hell to irrational
Acts of pleasant goodness.

Besides, he said, you’re
Into words.
You might convince us
To give Jesus a try and then
Where would Mephistopheles, Inc.
Be in regards to the Nasdaq?
No, he said, we need the ones
Desperate for the ability to do
Just one thing better than all the rest.

I looked at him for a minute,
Thinking I had wasted my time
But then I realized
It’s not often the devil pays you
A compliment.
So, I picked up my pack of secrets
Thanked him nicely for his time
And said I’d look him up later
If I happened to be in the neighborhood
Then, before I left, he casually asked
If I might sell him my ability
To see only what I wish to see.

Hell no, I told him
I don’t need my immortal soul right now
But selective vision is
The only thing that keeps me
From giving you my soul for free.

-Zoe Richardson