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In This Country Place
Submitted by Haggard & Halloo
on May 27, 2011 – 8:17 am
10 Comments
In This Country Place
by Kenneth Sibbett
where I was born and raised
we wake up with the chickens
and go to bed with the cows
but that is not true
maybe for our Dad’s Dad
but we are a different breed
we no longer tend the crops
the land was sold years ago
we managed to keep the house
but it’s old and cold
in the the winter
and old and hot
in the summer
the only livestock
is Moses, my old Blue Tick
who can still chase a deer
with the best of them
although he’s not baying
as loud as he used too
most of my kin have moved
to the city where they
hopefully can look
for jobs in a country
where there are none
perhaps next year
we’ll plant a garden
and once again play farmer
as our ancestors who
have owned this land
since the Mayflower
turn over in their graves
I really like this realist portrait of modern country life. Well done!
Good work here. I especially like the generational theme (“maybe for my Dad’s Dad …”) that moves from past to present (“most of my kin have moved …”) to future (“maybe next year we’ll plant a garden …”) Wendell Berry says it’s good to stop somewhere, to put down roots, even in a country like ours. No matter how hard it seems, there are always the rewards of place. Well done.
You’re a natural, scanner. This piece got to my spine, too.
I want to thank you for the comments. They really mean a lot to me. This was fun!
Kenny~
Great poem. It captured the displacement of the American farmer yet it ends on a hopeful note.
Boy does this speak to our time. Great job Kenny. Great poem!
Thank You Trilogy. That is very kind of you to say!
Searing commentary on the current state of this country that we no longer recognize. This sent chills up my spine. Excellent piece!
Country Bukowski. James Agee. This verse sings with sorrow and irony and grit. I don’t do Facebook so I can’t “like” this. Doesn’t matter, tho, because I love it.
“It’s old and cold.” Excellent poem.