1. Highway of Tears
&
Hwy 16
by cindy lee loucks
author of SICK
Highway of Tears & Hwy 16
Excerpts from WORDS vol 1
ISBN 978-0-9938886
Copyright by cindy lee loucks
Published 2014
a daddy baby girl gonna git him book chugga chugga choo choo...

2. Highway of Tears
by cll
author of SICK
the mountains to the west
are stunning and snow capped
when the sun goes down
cold sets in and shadows are cast
the trees are giants
the forests deep and vast
the waters run wild
falling spectacular and fast
the dense greenery
a picture postcard view
the scenery beckons
enveloping and swallowing you
through the Fraser Valley
runs a gorgeous corridor
beautiful vistas
hide a trail of horrors
there’s a stretch of blacktop
they call it the Highway of Tears
what happens there
is the stuff of nightmares
when they start to understand
that that there will be no tomorrow
families are torn asunder
filled with sorrow
they don’t return home
to friends...neighbors...relatives
are we turning a blind eye
because they are natives
behind the haunting beauty
a shameful reality lies
mothers left anguished
endless tears are cried
......continued

3. thousands of unsolved murders
how is this happening here
it’s a sad reflection of our nation
for these killings are a mirror
it’s hard to understand
this human depravity
there must be some justice
a balance...some levity
the wilderness is lonely
it echoes in its isolation
by the time its noticed
it’s an exhumation
families declare
they are met with apathy
when they ask questions
authorities don’t have much to say
the police are quick to quip
just let us do our job
the public would have more faith
if any of these murders were solved
what happens to
a person’s morality
when they are committing
such atrocities
after being killed
in a blitz of ferocity
victims are thrown away
with cold callousness
and no dignity
loved ones are devastated
needing to know why
peaceful lives are shattered
like this no one should die
left to pick up the pieces
like so many scattered leaves
they are forever hollowed out
never able to find peace
......continued

4. what is this boogeyman
we call a deviant
how did his mind
get so badly damaged and bent
the heartache left behind
is palpable
mothers left in purgatory
when their daughter’s killer
is unstoppable
every one of the victims mattered
their murders had a domino effect
those who loved them are changed
and their lives are now forever less
no one is immune to murder
don’t take such a narrow view
it doesn’t only happen to them
it can happen to me and you
don’t point in judgment
don’t victim blame
only when we stand together
will evilness be tamed
the murders happened out there
way out in BC
but the reality is they affect you and me
they are nothing less
than crimes against humanity
these crimes are brutal and heinous
hard to imagine
next time you visit the mountains
watch out for the boogeyman
they went out there shining bright
their light was forever dimmed
think of them
remember the victims
each of them were loved
they were sons...sisters and daughters
every single one of them
left behind a child...mother or father
*****

5. Hwy 16
by cindy lee loucks
author of SICK
there’s a road that runs through the Fraser Valley
from Yale to Prince George
it’s becoming legendary
for its horror...myth and gore
British Columbia is glorious
quite breathtaking is the town of Surrey
the beauty belies a reality
of suffering and misery
hwy 16 is traveled
by many adventurous adults and teens
it’s the last place they are known
to have been seen
that’s because it’s the last unexpected stop
on their wanderlust journey
hwy 16 mountaintop
is the last place they’ve been
the boogeyman looks benign
he knows just what to say
he won’t show any signs
and he happens to be going your way
hwy 16 is mesmerizing
the beauty can be a distraction
for the human hunter
you can understand the attraction
they say the highway is spooky
some say even haunted
the prettiest road in Canada
can be an adventure or a gauntlet
the cops are being
publicly criticized
many victims are natives
they’re being accused
of closing their eyes
continued...

6. are they color blind?
because it’s extremely difficult
cornering a killer
of this kind
this type is tricky
he could be your neighbor or friend
where do you start looking
where do the cops begin
hwy 16 twists and winds
very similar
to a serial killer’s mind
his brain starts to squirm
so he hits the road
he’s hunting humans
like a snake preys on a toad
you look out over the valley
the Fraser appears ethereal
while you’re distracted
your life he will steal
you are streetwise
you have always been aware
you think you will realize
you think you’ll see something there
you’ve been around
you’re nobody’s fool
he’s smarter and faster
and just to prove it...he will kill you
for you he will feign
great empathy and concern
when he spots you from the other side
he’ll even do a u turn
he drives a decent vehicle
a clean well kept truck
he looks like your grandpa
you can’t believe your luck
continued...

7. he has gray hair and wears glasses
he seems as sweet as molasses
this guy you will instantly like
he will warn you not to hitchhike
his vehicle seems to be
a port in the storm
it’s not what it seems
you best be warned
that older gentleman
offering you a ride
is a slick trickster
a cunning Jekyll and Hyde
you hear country music
or maybe the blues
you notice the jeans and plaid shirt
but not the out of place running shoes
you are so grateful
it was him that stopped
such great fortune
he’s the father of a cop
you’ve seen some things
gotten to know a little in this life
you think you’ll be able to tell
when something isn’t right
you’ve always been intuitive
you’re street savvy and smart
you will get a hinky feeling
you will get a flutter in your heart
when it suddenly goes from peaceful
to an attack...that happens in a blitz
as you are fighting for your last breath
you’ll think...how did i get myself into this
as pinpoints of lights are flying
and darkness tunnels in
the only thing you’ll be thinking
is no way...it can’t be him
continued...

8. don’t hitch a ride with a stranger
your chances will be few
you could be in extreme danger
when a predator drives up on you
when his smile becomes a slant
and he grabs a hold of you
you won’t have a lick of a chance
there won’t be a damn thing you can do
don’t cry wolf
we’ve always been taught
this isn’t a tempest
in a teapot
i have danced with the devil
and lived to tell
he doesn’t wear horns
it’s his soul that’s from hell
i know evil exits and
where killers come from
how do i know
well...i was raised by one
it’s been decades
since i have seen him
a long...long time it has been
he lives out in the valley
right out on hwy 16
*****