Supper Time

Just to be in the hills
Sittin' on the porch
Of a rugged ol' cabin
No more than a throw
From a creek
Runnin' deep an' cold.
Minnows swim this way, that
Dancin' 'round half dozen
Bottles of Grape Nehi
Chilled icy by the stream.
Air cooled by the creek
Just like the soda pop.
Rockin' in an' ol' chair,
Hearin' your ol' dog snore,
Lunch is over, supper not done.
Waitin' to hear a call,
"Supper time, supper time".

Morning in Beloved

As the sun rises
It is a bright
Banana yellow
With a rind of orange.
Through my window
The world is awakening
To Crayola colors
As if creation was
A coloring book.
A periwinkle sky is filled
With clouds whipped thin;
But clouds are no competition
For sun or sky.
In the distance the hills
Stand round about this holler
A ring of isolation
From a harsh world.
The morning mist wraps
Next like batting,
But more alive than
Sun or sky or even trees.
Closest to this cabin
Guardians stand tall
Oak, pine and hickory
Silhouettes against the mist.
Sourwood, dogwood and redbud
Huddle near their feet.
Guarding the low road
That leads to home.

With regret I lower the curtain
I have held ever so long
As I looked out in wonder,
Turn away with regret.
Oh, that I could stay at that window
Watching the sunrise
Watching my little holler
As the world seems to forget
I am there.

Blue Eyed Gal

Close my eyes and I see
Brown head gal
Big ol' blue eyes
Sittin' on a cabin porch
Waitin for her man.
Rockin' in his favorite chair
Mad 'cause he is late.
Supper past, food gone cold
Scotch Irish temper heatin' up.
Blue eyes narrow,
Foot quickly taps
Watchin' the narrow road.

Old truck comes over the hill
Brown head gal sits back.
Blue eyes close for just a spell
Plannin' the scoldin'
He's gonna get, what she's gonna say.
Food cold on the table,
Youngin's all in bed
Chores not done
Animals not fed.
Just you wait
Just you wait
He'll get his, certain he will.

Truck gets close, drivin slow.
Raises a tail of dust
Raises suspicions an' ire
In the mind of a blue eyed gal.
Bet he's drunk, spent his pay
Cares nothin' for the kids.
Havin' a time of it
Wastin' our due.
Why'd she ever marry him?

Truck slows, rolls an' stops
Old man gets out with hat in hand
Bad news, oh so bad
Mine has done collapsed.
His tired brown eyes
Rimmed with red
Told all the news she heard.
Brown head dropped
Blue eyes cried
Why God asked the blue eyed gal.
Old man shook his weary head,
No answers could be told.

How a moment changes her
How her anger fades.
She takes a hand
Smooths her brown hair
Wipes tears from her blue eyes.
Invites the man to have a seat
Goes in to put water on.
Folks will be comin'
Sittin' wake, waitin' to hear
Some kind of news.
Neighbors, loved ones
Mama, Daddy
Will sit an' stare up
The road.
Waitin' for an answer,
Waitin' for some news.
Brown heads, red and blonde
Gray heads bowed so deep
Too many wakes, too much pain.
Red rimmed eyes,
Blue, brown, green and gray
Wait an' watch
Stare up the road
In hopes he finds his way.

Scam Alert

Well, a couple of y'all mentioned a scam on their blogs an' I just didn't take the time to listen to y'all at all.  You know who you are!  Yep, I read in passin' about folks comin' to the door an' sayin' it was tick season, they was inspectors from the health department.  They was tellin' folks to undress, get buck nekkid an turn slowly around so as they could inspect for ticks. (Won't mention any names, but the initials are M.H. and W. G.)

I even heard it happened to a couple of y'all, but knew it would never happen to me.

Yet even the wise ol' storyteller man can be victim to this prank.  Y'see, I was sittin' in my livin' room down home in my hometown of Beloved, readin' some Jessee Stuart verse, sippin' on home made lemonade an' nibblin' here an' there on a biscuit with a slice of good ol' fried country ham.  I had hauled over 2,000 pounds of pea gravel back to the back an' put it under my deck so the dogs wouldn't get in the mud.  I reckon I was just plain worn out 'cause I just had let the book slide off my lap an' onto the floor.  The biscuit lay half eaten on a plate an' the lemonade was gettin' warm in the glass, all the ice had melted.

When the knock came to the door, I got up, still half asleep an' went to open it.  I didn't suspect nothin' as I stood there half asleep an' listened to the warnin' about ticks an' all.  Heck, I had got into a patch of woods just plumb full of seed ticks a few weeks ago an found three on me - two in my hair back behind my ears an' one on my leg.  I just hate ticks.  I hadn't got the one in my head out good an' it formed a sore for a couple of days.

I didn't pay no mind to the gigglin' or smirkin' as them fellers talked to me.  I just listened good naturedly, still woozy from sittin' an' drowzin' in my chair.

When they instructed me to take my clothes off an' turn around slowly, I complied easily.  They was from the Health Department after all.  I took off my overalls, shirt an' drawers quickly.  My socks had already gone when I sat down.  Slowly I turned this magnificant body around and around, a few drops of sweat glistening on my heavin' chest.

that's when it got weird.  them Tick Inspectors from the Health Department got wild eyed, started screamin' an turned an' ran off my porch.  They was hollerin' at the top of their lungs.  A couple neighbors came out while I was still rotatin' an' I reckon they wanted to see if I had ticks also cause they sure looked my way for a long time.

I suspect my example gave them the courage to go in an' lkook on their own selves, 'cause several doors slammed an' they sure went in awful fast.

Later all heck broke loose as the Sherrif came by an' said I had exposed myself an' needed to go down to the sherriff's office to be booked.  I thought that was some type of fancy scannin' for ticks an' went right along.  they took my fingerprints an' took pictures of me.  I tried to undress 'cause if they was lookin' for ticks too they needed to take pictures of my without clothes, cause ticks get under clothes, not on them.

I must have scared them with havin' ticks real bad, or so I thought, cause they put me in a cell all by myself.  The two drunbks in the next cell was whisperin' to themselves about me, I reckon they didn't want to get ticks, so they went all the way to the other end of the cell.

Later I was let go, must have been cause they was no ticks on me.  The Sherrif said it was all a misunderstandin' but I should have known it was a trick.

Like I said, I was half asleep an' had experienced a run in with a bunch of ticks just a few days before.  Still, he said I should have known.

How was I to know that 8 year old boys can't be tick inspectors?

There is a Place

There is a place
Where old men still pause
Take off their hat
Shed a tear when
The flag passes by.

There is a place
Where women still stop
Youngin's in hand
To talk and laugh
Outside a small grocery.

There is a place
Where stores are closed
On each and every Sunday
'Cause folks just don't shop
But stay home with families.

There is a place
Where farmers pause
As they plow their fields
To eye the clouds
And hope for rain.

There is a place
Where neighbors wave
As they drive slowly by
Lookin' at your tomatoes
Wonderin' are theirs bigger.

There is a place
Where blue ribbons won
At the County Fair
Hang displaced proudly
In places of honor.

There is a place
Where the modern world
Has not interrupted
Has been held at bay
By mountains old and rugged.

Come, go with me
I'll show you wonderful things
Come, go
I'll hide, you hunt me
Find me hidden in that place.

Come, go with me.