Papa
That Jack.
He pestered me
like a horsefly
on a mule.
Just had to have my picture.
Stood me beside
the car, but made sure
the mistake he made after the dance
was hidden behind.
I was madder than a hornet that night.
Reckless, ungrateful son-of-a-gun.
But I can't help myself. He makes me smile.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016
Love this one, Mary Lee. You do Papa's voice very well!
ReplyDelete"That Jack." Love that opener. It sounds like my grandpa. So short and to the point.
ReplyDeleteJust looking at the man in the photo makes me think that he once was a Jack, too, which may explain the soft spot he has... :)
I love "pesters me like a horsefly." And I love Papa's relationship with his boy.
ReplyDelete"Pa"
I'm grinning broad here leanin'
against the bumper of the Chevy
actually only a couple of hours before
the hard rains drowned my young seedlings
that night i sat on the back porch
sobbing like I did on the day my pa died.
what's a 12-year-old boy
s'posed to do without a pa?
the rivers on my cheeks
mixed with the rivers from the sky
and I couldn't decide whether
I should sell the car and buy more seed
or pack the car and move to town
get a job with a real paycheck
what's a farmer
s'posed to do without a crop?
i'm still here,
me and my car.
we made it.
another year.
(C) Carol Wilcox, 2016
Isn't it fun to find the story behind the picture? You found a failed crop; I found a smashed bumper.
Delete