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Open Poetry #37
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XOx Uriah xOX
Senior Member
since 2006-02-11
Posts 1403
Virginia

0 posted 2006-04-10 11:10 PM




My Grandpa and my daddy had the wagon loaded down
with apples they had picked and were hauling into town.
They drove up to a mountain stream that they would have to ford.
Where from a tree, there hung a dipper made out of a gourd.
Grandpa told my daddy that it had been that way for years.
Everyone up on this mountain knows that dippers hangin' here.
Who hung it there, don't matter... That's a long forgotten fact.
The important thing is... If you drink ...  You put the dipper back.

Years went by... and some things change and some things stay the same.
My Daddy turned into a man in that European Campaign.
Daddy carried a heavy load when he crossed that mountain stream...
But he saw that dipper dangling... like a long lost childhood dream.
There were battles fought with armies and there were battles fought alone...
With Battle Stars and shrapnel scars... He thanked God he was home.

Well Daddy met my Mama and that's how they met me.
Grandpa met his maker long before I came to be.
They paved the road and built a bridge in nineteen fifty three.
And someone hung a metal dipper where the old one used to be.
One day Daddy told me about the dipper, but I didn't understand.
I figured you could get a drink with just the palms of your hands.
But Daddy explained it to me and it started making sense.
It's not the fact that its a dipper, but what that dipper represents.

Things like tradition.   And how everyones your brother.
Making life a little easier and helping one another.
Life is full of obstacles we have to face each day.
Many times the little dipper has helped me find my way.

Now my Daddy and my Mama do not live here anymore.
Most folks get their water out of bottles from the store.
There's a brand new bridge and highway and the trees have been cut down.
The old ones have died or moved away and there's strangers all around.
No one knows about the dipper...  Its not around for them to see.
I cannot hold it in my hands but it was handed down to me.
And I'll pass it on to my kids...  As they deal with life each day...
and pray they recall the little dipper and it helps to show the way.

© Copyright 2006 Larry F. Leake - All Rights Reserved
Musicmaker1969
Deputy Moderator 5 ToursDeputy Moderator 1 Tour
Senior Member
since 2000-06-25
Posts 589
Peterborough, Ontario Canada
1 posted 2006-04-10 11:15 PM


Sometimes it is the little things in life that mean a lot and that we remember most.  The things that taught us valuable lessons that we would never forget.  This is a great poem with a lot of love fetl in it and I really enjoyed reading about the traditions passed on from one generation to the next.

Sincerely,
Sheri Adams

Jesus lives in my heart!  He can in yours too!!!
Sheri Liegh Adams
sheriliegh@sympatico.ca

terasinas
Member
since 2006-03-24
Posts 91
Michigan ... The Great Lakes
2 posted 2006-04-11 12:07 PM


Very nice, heartfelt bro .. I love your stories ... but this you know.  

tera

The Lady
Member Rara Avis
since 2005-12-26
Posts 7634
The Southwest
3 posted 2006-04-11 01:16 AM




"Well Daddy met my Mama and that's how they met me."

Ah Uriah... you surely have a way with words. I love your stories too and this one is a beauty.


fmlbarebackrider2001
Member
since 2005-11-16
Posts 138
West Texas, United States
4 posted 2006-04-11 07:47 AM


Beautiful words! I really like this poem. It reminds me of my childhood and the little things we took for granted.

Know yourself before you try to know someone else.

Earth Angel
Member Empyrean
since 2002-08-27
Posts 40215
Realms of Light
5 posted 2006-04-11 09:42 AM


XO, I was singing the poem as though they were lyrics to a song. ~ Is it a song? The words sure do sing like one!

I cannot express how impressed and moved I was by this soulfully poetic piece of writing!

That dipper may have been little, but it sure was mighty!

Giving you a country hug 'o lovin',
EA
Flowers



Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049
California
6 posted 2006-04-11 08:03 PM


I love this story, Larry...it gave me goosebumps!!  Thanks for being you.
Enchantress
Member Empyrean
since 2001-08-14
Posts 35113
Canada eh.
7 posted 2006-04-11 08:10 PM


"Things like tradition.   And how everyones your brother.
Making life a little easier and helping one another.
Life is full of obstacles we have to face each day.
Many times the little dipper has helped me find my way."

What a wonderful wonderful story this is.
And you are a great storyteller.
You know..families should have more traditions.
A most excellent write.
~Smiles & Hugs, Nancy~

~ Trace my body with your words,
  in doing so, you touch my heart ~

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