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Open Poetry #9
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The Corner Post
| Open Poetry #9 |
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The Corner Post |
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jwesley Member Rara Avis
since 2000-04-30
Posts 7563Spring, Texas 
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The Corner Post Years ago that north corner fence post was a ten inch square by eight foot long chunk of Bald Cypress We'd dug a two foot deep hole fourteen inches square and filled it with the post and concrete; that post wasn't going anywhere. Two of it's sides were lined up right on our North-South and North-East property lines; it was the anchor for all five acres of our land; everything about our little homestead started and ended right there. Our trailer was exactly two hundred feet south and two hundred feet east of the outside corner of that post, and the shell-dirt road that went past our place, like it was going somewhere, was exactly twenty five feet North of it. That chunk of Bald Cypress was our alignment god, and God help anybody that didn't use it as zero reference for everything that was done on that five acres. And your measurements had better be right, no fractions allowed, or Dad would make you move it. The corner of the chicken yard was exactly seventy-five feet behind our trailer, or two hundred and seventy-five feet south, and two hundred feet east, of that corner post. You could stake your life on the location of the outhouse, pig pen, garage/shed, trash pit and where Dad sat to read his paper and smoke his cigar under the Willow tree. Yeah, even the Willow tree was planted with reference to that big old chunk of wood. As time passed, and Dad aged, the street became Willow Drive, the barbed wire that turned around the post and enclosed our five acres, turned into chain link with metal post set in concrete; all except that hunk of cypress; the land might move, but not that post. When Dad died, we had him cremated and placed in one of those jars called Urns. We kept him on the kitchen table for a long time. Mom talked to him a lot, everyday. And things started going to pot. Nobody cared where they put anything anymore or even seemed to remember why we were always so precise when we did. Then Mom died; and it was just me and Sis. She married Willejoe, down the street, they moved in with his mom and dad; that left just me. I thought about burying dad's urn in mom's grave but changed my mind. I had mom dug up and cremated, then took both of them to the lake and let them walk the water in the wind. Two days later I dug up that damned post, burned it, took the ashes to the lake and sent it to find my dad; he once told me… "As long as I have that post, I'll know exactly where everything is." w. james beard, jr. [This message has been edited by jwesley (edited 08-29-2000).] |
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| © Copyright 2000 Wesley James Beard, Jr. - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
Very nice, J... This is a story worth sending around the forum a couple of times - You've used some wonderful metaphors here and told a great story that every reader should be able to relate to their own lives... I personally envisioned my own brother - now living alone on our childhood homestead - with things falling apart around him... Thanks for the reminder...  |
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sonjes Senior Member
since 2000-02-18
Posts 564North Carolina |
Absolute emotions asunder...catching my breath. So easy to get caught up in your tale with your writing style being so...so...AGGHH! Sorry, I am at a loss of words at the moment. Lets just say that I think this is fantastic!!!!! Don't care what people say Just follow your own way Don't give up and use the chance To return to innocence. -Enigma |
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jwesley Member Rara Avis
since 2000-04-30
Posts 7563Spring, Texas |
I sincerely appreciate your comments Nan, and Sonjes. This was one of those almost didn't post things as I felt it would be too mundane and it's actually a little out of my normal style of writing. But I have been reading a lot of (for lack of better words???) "storified" works and have been wanting to try it on. Any suggestions you, or anyone may have for refining it would be appreciated. Again, thanks. jwesley [This message has been edited by jwesley (edited 08-30-2000).] |
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Corinne Member Ascendant
since 1999-10-28
Posts 5167state of confusion |
What a great poem. Would also make a great story or novel, too! Thanks for sharing this! Corinne |
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jwesley Member Rara Avis
since 2000-04-30
Posts 7563Spring, Texas |
Appreciated it corinne... jwesley |
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