Mothers Story
What’s That Smell?In the 1930s, the great depression was in full swing, but the Wellston school district was one of the richest in America. A 1930 oil find in Drake County had boosted the local economy, and educational spending grew...
Daddy’s Sunday Newspaper
On Sunday, my daddy used to get up lateEveryone in the houses breakfast had to wait No one can eat before our dadWe didn’t mind. It wasn’t that bad It was the one day he could relaxFrom six grueling days...
Sister
As a teenager in high school The time in your life when everything’s supposed to be cool I learned more lessons from living with my oldest sister Then, I ever learned in school by listening to the Mister A young...
Smile
What put that smile on your face A memory of another time and place Put all hasty negative words away Close your mouth and keep them at bay Your words and thoughts belong to you So, watch what you say...
Don’t Waste A Day
the air is cool and crispBlond hair escaping just a whisp Galloping along on a purebred horseOn a dirt trail, no particular course Escaping your usual normRiding away to silently mourn All the bubbling words in the airSpoken radically, no...
Under the Willow Tree
The old willows limbs gently sway in the breezeSmall children playing underneath doing as we pleased Making mud pies in old tin cansWaiting to be eaten by unsuspecting fans Mom never had to worry or wonder where we’d beShe knew...
Lazy June Bug Night
Watching June bugs on a warm summer nightThey hit the window pane as they dance to the lighton a lazy June bug night They’ll flap two sets of sturdy wingsAs you quietly rock on your front porch swingListening to the...
Buckaroo or Cowpuncher
On a late spring morning in West Texasriding through pasture overgrown with brush Cowpunchers pushed a calf into a clearing.The calf will need to be roping if it is a yearling. The Cowboy throws a loop around the yearling’s neck,...
The Saddle
To the Cowboy, the saddle was his everythingThe most important asset for an interview to bring If he owned the saddleThat was half a cowboys battle The rancher would provide the horseHe rarely offered the saddle, of course To own...