»
Archives
»
Open Poetry #9
»
Layin' By
| Open Poetry #9 |
|
Layin' By |
|
|
H. Arlequin Member
since 1999-08-23
Posts 210 |
LAYIN' BY There's a fly in the ointment! A bug in the stew! Is'at a hair in my cormbread? What're things comin to? No fatback fer the turnip greens; beef jerkey won't chew! No sweetnin fer the coffee, what's a body to do?? Wood's split fer the cookstove, Martha White in the sack, Buttermilk in the spring house, skillet hanging out back Pinch o' salt; a little lard, Arm & Hammer from the can Put together makes biscuits...fresh buttered, Oh man!!!! In hard times or good times we barely made it through The long winters when we ate what last summer we grew. A late Spring, an early frost, little rain in the season Often crippled the provisioning without rhyme or reason. Spring apples we dried, fall apples were fried Then packed in their jars; nothing wasted, we tried Butter from the peelings, in abundance, sweet cider Pressed by old Bessie, round and round with no rider. White potatoes, hand dug, were stored in their pit; Sweet potatoes and turnips, as many as would fit In the bins in the shed, were treasured like gold, In the hopes their sustenance would get us thru the cold. The sweet corn, the snap beans, the tomatoes, the peas, Butterbeans, yellow squash as pretty as you please, All graced the shelves of the cellar by the door, Copious pantry, full stored, who'd ask any more? The smokehouse, a busy place during hog-killing time, Where the hams, the fatback and the sausage when prime Were bathed in hickory smoke seven days in a row To hang til winter hunger to the larder made us go. The henhouse, the out house, tiny shed fer the cow All places truly vital in hard times, then and now, Fer the animals, the fodder, both shelter and store, Feeding them, was helping us, never once thot a chore. --HA |
||
| © Copyright 2000 H. Arlequin - All Rights Reserved | |||
|
Mike Member Elite
since 1999-06-19
Posts 2462 |
Love it... great read, very enjoyable. |
||
|
|
⇧ top of page ⇧ |
|
| All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format. | ||
