D. Phillip Caron

overhalls

Daddy was big on night huntin coons.
Walked out the house bout sundown
with that .22 laid across his shoulder
while Mellon barked loud underfoot.
I remember them old Sears overhalls
with the blue ward clene off his butt
he used when it was about to storm.
That one shoulder strap was too tight.
Seemed it would ride up hard on him
ever time he use that shoulder to aim.
He couldn hit coons in them overhalls
if they was nested on the supper table.

Sissy turned fifteen early that spring
and shortly she figgered out the boys.
Mazy was the middle of them Fingers
who lived up the end of Fingerholler.
Both of um quit ridin there school bus
an took to walkin home thru the woods.
Seems sudden Sissy growed up quick
cause she started doin cookin for mama
sweepin the floors when they was clene
and wooden let nobody touch washin
cause she scrubed better than any body.
She came real womanly bout her clothes.

Daddy and mama started alot to whisper
while they sit rockin evenins on the porch.
I was nine then cause school had just let
as I recall for the whole of all that summer.
Daddy took to sittin ever day in his rocker
on the porch watchin that Fingers hayfield
and them five Finger boys all sweatin hard.
He'd sit seems for hours like that lookin
and not payin much mind to that .22 rifle
laid across both them ward white knees.
That right side metal shoulder strap buckle
would hit them painted boards hollow like.

Arlin R. Cornberry* (Whom we now know to be D. Phillip Caron. Probably
the first time a pseudonym has been used on TTG!