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Y'all
Come
Come
back with me in
time, if you will,
to my childhood
country home in
the '40s,
'way down deep in
the heart of
Dixie.
January is
icy-cold this
year, so come on
in,
have a seat by the
fire; warm
yourself.
There's
Mama, snuggled up
in her knit shawl,
reading the Bible
by the kerosene
lamplight.
And that's Daddy
over there,
resting by the
fire
after a hard day's
work at his
sawmill.
Let
me fix you some
hot chocolate;
won't take a
minute. It'll warm
up your tummy
and chase away the
sniffles, you
know.
Don't mind old Reb
there -- he's a
yard dog,
but Mama brought
him in when it
started to sleet.
Would
you like some
peanuts with your
chocolate?
Parched 'em myself
just this morning,
right there on the
hearth.
Daddy's best crop
ever; here, have a
handful.
My,
my, hear that wind
whooshing
'round the
windows!
I do believe it's
rising -- won't
you spend the
night?
Sounds like a
blizzard's blowing
in from up North.
You'll stay?
Hooray! Mama'll
fix us pallets
on the floor by
the fireplace, and
we can listen
to the Grand Ole
Opry -- you like
the Opry? Good.
Daddy just bought
us a
brand-new battery
for the radio,
and Eddy Arnold's
on tonight.
Yes, he's my
favorite, too.
Daddy likes Roy
Acuff best,
and Mama's fond of
Ernest Tubb.
I'll
get us some more
chocolate,
then in the
morning, if the
weather clears,
we can go
exploring in the
woods out back.
Mama'll let us, if
we bundle up real
good.
Isn't
this the greatest
fun?
I'm sure glad
y'all came.
~Copyright
© 1994 Ruth
Gillis~
Published
in Tucumcari
Literary Review
June 1995
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