Edie and Buck
In April of 1931, noonish by the sun,
Buck walked down the railroad tracks
outside a town called New Freedom, PA.
His pace was sure footed, limber, and comfortable.
Earthly possessions not consisting of much
and not too hard to carry,
he had a change of clothes,
a dollar fifty six,
a pickled egg from that morning in his belly,
and his fiddle, and his auto harp, and his mandolin.
Six foot four and skinny, twenty-six,
wrists shooting out of sleeves most of his life,
Buck, like his shoes, had seen some better days.
Dusty cap worn low over a coal black shock of hair,
his eyes were as blue as the sky
and looked out of a Renaissance soul.
Where the sidewalk, and the town, began,
just inside an old wrought iron fence
in a flowerbed of daffodils framed by forsythia,
Buck first saw Edie.
She wore a yellow work dress, not her favorite color,
And her blond hair plaited tight enough to squeak.
Her feet bare, shoes and stockings laid aside,
she had a smile as white, and hesitant,
and sweet as any Buck had ever seen.
She was sixteen.
A honky-tonk man by trade,
available for barn parties, picnics, weddings and the like,
Buck mostly worked the bars and beer joints from town to town
where the food, and a bed, and the beer was free.
At night he dreamed of the Juilliard School
and Institute of Musical Art in New York City.
Edie mostly worked chores for her mother,
a stern Methodist who didn’t like her daughter much
and her daughter’s philandering father less.
Edie dreamed, after that April day, of Buck.
The front flowerbed of Edie’s yard
was a thing of beauty that summer.
Buck, who’d signed on at the factory,
went that way for lunch and usually found her there.
Edie took to laying by a slice of pie or cake
to sneak inside his lunchbox.
In September, Buck asked Edie on a walk
that them led by way of Main Street and past
the grocery store, post office, and church.
That winter Buck played minstrel in the Christmas play.
Edie kissed him under the eave
outside the Sunday school door.
In April of 1932, called out of the house
as the supper dishes soaked
and the daffodils cast evening shadows across the lawn,
Edie sat on the porch swing.
Buck knelt beside her with his auto harp,
a plain gold ring,
voice shaking, and a heart full of hope.
He sang, ”If I could but win your heart, little girl,
then I would have treasures untold…”
Edie’s answer, for always, was “yes”.
Author notes
Not knowing the story of exactly how my grandparents met, this is one possibility.
Written April 2nd, 2004
What did you think
Comments
1 - 20 of 20
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a fascinating story
very well done... a heartwarming story
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Hi, sweet piece of prose, a lovely little story, I am a romantic at heart so I found this delightful. try putting it in a comp if you can find one where it would fit, all the best,Di
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the imagery was there in this right from the start... you have penned a great write: a stern Methodist who didn’t like her daughter much
and her daughter’s philandering father less.this bit was almost confusing though... i had to read it three times to make sense of it... other than that its just great
cheers
Jen
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This was amazing. The characterization of this had excelent details and flow to it. Really, this was very good. I can see Edie and Buck so clearly in my head. Good job!
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If we all could just take a deep breath,relax, and chill. What a wonderful world this would be...... I have never met your Edie, and Buck, but I feel like I know them.........Which means that you are most awsome poet.....Looking glass
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You certainly know how to paint a picture.
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classical piece
what a quaint romance beautifully written and so expressive. i could visualize this so clearly in my mind like watching an old old movie. not usually my cup of tea but how could you not admire the manner in which it was presented, written and delivered. truly brilliant writting -
A Magnificent Masterpiece
Wow you have to cease to amaze me with your writeing. Such a wonderful story here, full of love and hope. Great writeing, not much critique i can put out here, just wow heh. Thanks fro the chance to read it, looking forward to more from you most definitly. -
excellent
This one of the most beautiful free verses that I have ever read, and it goes from verse to verse, giving such an beautiful account of the man, and this young lady and their feelings for each other, you have painted us a very vivid picture, with a emotional deep concept, of a love that would last forever and always. It was like reading a short story, nice talent, Write ON!......Ennovy -
Remember this from reading it a while back. Lovely.
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thats a nice way to look at it i guess. i like to think of it as great a perfict meeting
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Excellent.
This is a nice poem, I wish I could see the photo you used for inspiration. Some nice suggstions, cut some words and make it tighter; like
"and his fiddle, and his auto harp, and his mandolin" into;
"his fiddle, auto harp and mandolin". that kind of thing. Won't change your poetic voice much, but will make a much cleaner poem.
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aww
Aww, what a beautiful story! I clicked because I like the name edie a lot (lol) but after reading through the piece, I realized how great it was. A sweet love story that manages to stay down-to-earth... beautiful. -
Remembering
I love your musical humor Sis. And yes, our grandparents were indeed amazing people and no doubt about that. I'm very proud of you for imortalizing them in this way. -
Thank you so much for your lovely words Katie. My grandparents were amazing people and I have tried to hold on to as many memories of them and their lives as I can. I live with my grandmother's teachings everyday from the moment I make my bed to my evening prayers! My grandfather's fiddle holds many a fine tune, one day I'll find our where it hides them!
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I love the "Mariposa de Septiembre". That sounds so beautiful. I wanted to remind myself that even though I may be in the September of my life, it's never to late to spread my wings and see them as uniquely patterned!
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Bravo!
This is such a delight to read; it has such a laid back flow that ambles all the way through your write. There is a sweetness about the relationship of the couple reminscent of the era you write of. How different to the society of today! it is as a walk through someones book of memorable photographs, of sunny days spent walking leisurely, holding on to dreams that have come to fruition.
Your imagery is absolutely "ACE" taking your reader through the stanzas of your write as if being led by the hand of someone with a sweet, sweet, pure soul. I truly adored reading this, well done!
~katie~
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I know this is gonna sound weird but it reminded me of mice and men for some reason, I dong know why
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Loved this narrative of what could have happened so many years ago. Easy to read and understand and an easy flow and style. Nicely written. (double space after supper)
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Nostalgic
Touching! Of course this has "special" meaning for me! How ironic that I just started the colorization of that old family picture showing Buck, Edie, Mary, Little Buck, Dave and Mike. Had no idea what color to make Edie's hair and dress but now I know! Well written Sis! You can never go wrong with a slice of real life!
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