Drought

Drought - Ian

It only seemed like yesterday they occupied the land
In former times were pastures lush and green,
The land would yield its bounties for this happy family band
And poverty was nowhere to be seen.

Bill scanned the fields around him and he tried to force a smile,
Those memories of family long ago,
His parents and his siblings on recall from memory file,
The time they watched the river overflow.

The work was hard, but evening time they played their parlor game
Or sat around the piano and just sang,
And now and then a salesman or a nearby neighbor came
And then their walls with happy laughter rang.

His sisters all got married and the others left the place,
Their parents long ago had passed away,
And only Bill had stayed behind the rural life to face,
No longer was there any time to play.

But then one day the neighbor lass was passing on her way
Her horse was limping badly Billie saw,
He stopped them then proceeded to re-shoe the noble gray,
She nodded when he asked to see her more.

So Mildred married Billie both stayed on to work the farm,
The children made those farm walls ring again,
But year by year the drought held on, Bill realized with alarm
They’d have to leave, the only question when?

Mildred cried, and children whimpered when they packed their ancient car
As they went to join their relatives in town,
Bill searched around for any work; he tried towns near and far,
Those constant curt refusals got him down.

Then one fine day when traveling home Bill happened to look out,
The thunderheads were gathering in the east,
Was this to be the ending of this cruel disabling drought?
The “dry” would ravish country man and beast.

The rain remained for several weeks, the rivers rushed unbound,
They overflowed on barren lifeless land,
And roaming starving animals with joy new grasslands found,
The farmers trickled back to lend a hand.

Bill scanned the fields around him and he tried to force a smile,
Those memories of family long ago,
For Mildred and the children had been gone for quite a while
And he alone was left the seeds to sow.

“© Ian Grice 2008”