We drove down south,
On April 22, 1977.
I didn’t expect the sights I’d seen,
But there they were.
There were crocodiles, and gators.
There were sprawling big fields,
And grass all the way up to my knees.
The countryside spoke of wonder,
And the people spoke of curiosity.
I didn’t expect the kindness I’d seen,
Nor the livestock just hooting around with
All ’em neighbors.
I didn’t expect nothin’ I ‘erd.
But ‘ere it was,
My ears picking up the sounds as they
Ventured in the woods.
I ‘erd ’em say a thing or two about me and my
Pa, but I couldn’t quite understand ’em,
I was only four you see.
But away and away we went,
My Ma having less than a day to clean the clothes,
Unpack the groceries and clean the cabinets.
We didn’t live in the greatest of shelters then,
But there was a roof and a stable nearby,
So we counted our pickings.
The ride into town was a hoot and a holler,
Our laughs would echo big and mighty,
Especially Uncle Paul’s his laugh could rock
The horses unsteady from three er four miles away.
My sister Pattie would scrap up her knees every damn time
The mailer would come in with a package.
She’d screech like a old tire swinging off its holder,
And she’d ripple through the yard, swinging her
Arms liked she was a copter, ’bout to take off.
Inevitably she’d miss out on a rock or a bush that’d be picking
Out of the ground and plow-bow-now!
There’d she go!
Toppling all over and scrapping up her knees, her
Pink dress, then her yellow, then her blue,
Being torn up and muddied into bits and pieces.
The best of our time there I ‘member most has got to be
That one sunset we’d seen fading out over the
Orange tinged trees.
It made my heart skip a beat and my throat wanna close up,
The colors dripping from the sky and falling onto my fingertips
Like a painting on a wet day.
The dazzling lightning bugs lighted their way through the darkening
Sky, and I could see my dreams and hopes just riding along with them,
Twinkle-twinkle-twinkling in the evaporating light.
My Pa looked to my Ma and they exchanged a long glance,
Then they leaned on forward and caked their lips together.
It was gross to me at the time, but now I can see that it sure was
Romantic.
Pattie skipped and hollered from her place by the field,
And I just sat up and watched the colors lightly fade,
One minute the sky was lit up like a firecracker,
And the next, it was as dark as my own shadow.
It was a nice trip we had down south that year,
And I remember it ever since,
‘Cause you never know which descent the sun you’ll see
May be the first time you ever
Truly feel alive.
A poem. Hope you enjoyed it! ❤
RecoverytoWellness 