My Daddy worked hard all his life, But never got ahead. And all we had to eat each day Was pinto beans and bread. A child could never know that, though, With fields to run and play. With trees to climb and creeks to wade And adventures every day. Daddy talked to me one night… Continue reading Honey, We’re Poor
Tag: Ray
Gardening
Daddy tilled the lot beside our house With a horse and plow each year. A full day's work, that plowing was With rocks making it hard to steer. We worked from daybreak until dark When planting time came around, With Daddy watching the moon's phase To put seed in the ground. My brother shoveled, I… Continue reading Gardening
Pretty Is As Pretty Does
"Disposition is what it takes," My Daddy said to me. "It makes a woman beautiful When she's as nice as she can be." When my parents described someone, Only virtues they'd recite, And all their friends were "beautiful" When pressured to describe. "Is she pretty?" Dad would ask When a new friend I would meet,… Continue reading Pretty Is As Pretty Does
Perfect Autumn Day
Every year, the feelings haunt me My heart pleasures to recall; My first memory is vivid Of the Smokies in the Fall. "Winter's comin'," Daddy told me While I marveled at the sight; To this day, I've not seen colors That were ever quite as bright. Wispy clouds went snaking upwards From the mountaintops in… Continue reading Perfect Autumn Day
Red Lights
"Daddy, what does that girl see in him?" I asked my Dad one day. "Red lights, I reckon," he replied; That's all that he would say. I sat there, pondering life's odd twists As I gazed upon the pair. "You know she'd have to," Daddy said, "Or she'd have not stopped there!" copyright © 1998… Continue reading Red Lights
Roosters
"She lived beside the railroad track Where the train came through each day. When it killed her favorite rooster, She demanded that they pay." "They told her she could ride for free Until they had paid their debt; For forty years, she rode that train, And I'd say their paying yet!" "You ran over my… Continue reading Roosters
Traffic
Pigeon Forge was just a lazy town When my Daddy was a lad; A dirt road led to Gatlinburg And traffic was never bad. Daddy never could quite figure Why folks flocked to his hometown, Just to sit for hours in traffic From sunup until sundown. He'd shake his head in wonderment, Saying he'd just… Continue reading Traffic
Turpentine
"A dose will cure you," Dad would say, And we'd think, "Cure or kill?' He dosed us up with turpentine; He thought that it would heal. "But I'm not sick!" we all would whine, We'd plead and beg and cry. "I know you ain't!" he answered back; "This here's the reason why!" A drop in… Continue reading Turpentine
Bluff Mountain
"What's that mountain called?" they ask As it stands stark against the sky. Glancing towards the smaller peak, "It's called Bluff Mountain," I reply. As larger ridges arrest their gaze, Bluff Mountain retains my own. A precious memory captures my heart, When Daddy took me there alone. Then I was just a little girl Traipsing… Continue reading Bluff Mountain
A Poor Child’s Treasures
Everywhere our eyes would look, There were treasures to be found: A tricycle, a bicycle And toys just sitting around. A baby doll carriage just for me, A stove and refrigerator, Bright ribbons we could tie in bows And fix our hair with later. We made the longest chain we could From coke can tabs… Continue reading A Poor Child’s Treasures