9

THANK GOD I'M A COUNTRY GIRL

I was raised on dusty back roads
I know the feeling of dust squishing through my toes
lying on my back on a warm summer night
counting the stars in a quiet country sky.

Climbing hills, not hearing a sound, but the songs of the birds; no one else around.
Walking along the river, sometimes for hours, smelling the scent of wild country flowers.
Honeysuckle, sweet william, the elegant wild rose.
Picking a few and pinning them to my clothes.

The smell of fried chicken for Sunday dinner,
the thrill of catching my first big fish everyone said was a winner.
Feeling the sting of that willow switch,
wearing feed sack dresses my mama stitched.

Sitting in church on Sabbath day,
listening to my daddy preach, teach and pray.
Walked two miles to a one roomed school.
Yes, I lived in those days when dinosaurs ruled.[for my grandchildren] lol!

Halloween parties that were over too soon,
walking home by the light of the moon.
That was the way my life was back then,
wish I could go back and live it again.

RAMBLINGS OF A DREAMER

Often on a lazy summer day
I allow myself to drift off to other times in my life
to cool summer mornings with buckets in tow
helping mama pick blackberries
or to the years when my babies were little.
I might even think of an old lover
that ever so often slips in uninvited.
Not that I would ever want him back,
but happy that he can be ever gentle on my mind.
With no one around but the lazy bees
gathering pollen from the flowers on my deck
I can replace our world of wars and terrorism
with beauty from another era.
My children say I’m a dreamer
that I live in a different world from the one they live in
and I tell them I hope so
as they bicker among themselves over little things.
I enjoy the quietness of my own company and watching my two cats
stretch in the warm summer sun and wish all people
in the world could have as few worries as they do
and their bodies be as well fed.
I walk through my home and look at the many photographs
of my loved ones, silently smiling back at me,
the early morning sun lighting up their faces
as if this is the way it’s meant to be.
After pouring another glass of ice tea
I return to my chair and lift my eyes toward the Heavens and pray
'Lord thank you for my family, the talent You have given me, [even though small]
and thank You for making me appreciate the little things in life.'