Interlude

Help me right here sed John
and I grasped the bottom rim,
we lifted the barrel into the pickup
then sat on the tailgate, hot,
a warm canyon breeze
spilled across the yellow grass
it was this one summer back home
I's young about the time most kids
getting out of school
but I'd done quit
old man Cummings
had me heping him
lifting all this heavy weight
on a wagon load
we made a tote and set in the shade to rest
he must of started remembering
commenced to talking sez
summer clover jingle jangle
he done taken and put his hand
in his pocket and pulled out this silver dollar
looked at it like he never seen it before
smooth so you couldn't even tell
the man on the side, all the words
rubbed off from being carried so long
it was meadow clover all over
stretching out green and yellow
I didn't say nothing, he talked, sed
I was 17 they come in wagons
putting on Gypsy carnivals
whole town wanted them to go on
known they'd steal whatall's loose
everbody went to the tent that night anyway
they paid me a dollar to water horses
I worked all afternoon hard
I was 17 for a dollar
she had eyes that laughed
same color as them fancy shoes
laugh like silver bobbles
on a red and blue velvet dress
color of midnight
even in the dark I seen me
looking back from those black eyes
I wasn't scared
she shown me slow, easy
the whole field of yellow clover
bells on her shoes real soft
jingle jangle
so many nights I cant sleep
smell comes in the winder after me
when my wife's alive times
I lain the whole night beside her shaking
awake, all that dark
tearing holes in me
nothing I could do but stay there
listen for the sound of silver windbells
kids in the next room, sleeping,
nobody could smell it or hear it but me
summer clover jingle jangle
he set there staring at that money
in his hand
almost like he's talking to it
like he done forgotten
I was there too
never sed no more
put it in his pocket
and closed his eyes
I could tell he's smelling the summer grass
it was all over for then
so lets take this pigfeed
out to the pens and we'll be done
lifting it down won't be as hard
as getting it in
second half's always easier'n first


by David Lee