September Trio of Poems by N.J.

N. J's Trio for September

Dirt Road…………..

I came across a dirt road,
That lead into a field
I heard it call to me, come play
And dirt has such appeal.

The dust that played beneath my feet,
And swirled so gently round,
Brought back memories to my weary mind,
And chased away my frown.

It reminded me of things I had forgotten,
Of days so long ago, like….
Running through tobacco patches
Mud squishing between your toes.

And jumping from the loft to the
Hay below in ole man J’s barn
Watchin’ Miss I. hang wash on the line
And sittin’ under the big oak with socks to darn.

Racin’ barefoot to the garden in back
Eatin’ tomatos and melon right off the vine
Throwin’ rocks high up on the tin roof
Starin’ at the sun til we nearly went blind.

The best times we ever had
Were at the end of a dirt road
That led into a warm rowed field
Where the seed had just been sowed.
I’ve left that field and road behind me now
Shook the dust and dirt from my feet
Still, the good times that we had
Can, will never be beat.

- N.J.

At Casteloe's Landing.

OUT THERE…………

Sometimes when the world feels myopic,
That’s when I go telescopic.
Its then I look past the Earth
To the sky, where nebulas give birth.

There light years past the planet mars,
The universe has created many stars.
If I had the skill to steer it,
I’d build a spaceship just to be near it.

What do you think that I will find
Maybe creatures of many kinds.
On planets that are seemingly cold
Wonder if they have a soul?

For now I set my site for joy, and hope
The beautiful galaxies that will fill my scope.
Mirror, lens and focus then bring
Jupiter’s moons and Saturn’s ring.

-N.J.

On the Meherrin between Livermans' and Potecasi Creeks.

For M.J.

There is an old red barn sits out off the highway
Nothing special about it been there for years
Weathered from storms, ice and summer suns
The front had only a little paint left, none in the rear.

Then a stranger came and wanted to buy it
Said it was beautiful and wanted to rip it down
And use the wood for his new home down the street
So daddy sold it, my face made a frown.

I walked out later into the field to take a look at the old barn
The man had said you can’t find paint like that
The silver gray underneath the red
Which covered the boards now only in splats.

That barn and you are a lot alike
It’s on the inside that beauty grows
And though you have turned silver gray
Your soul is still beautiful
As everyone who meets you knows.

Don’t worry sweetie, the Good Lord knows what he’s doing
For everything He has His reasons
Using the hard wealth of our lives to do His weathering
The dry spells and the stormy seasons.

And one day when you are hauled off to God
For whatever reason the Good Lord has
Go into that great sky above like that seasoned old barn
And a little more beauty in Heaven will come to pass.

-N.J.

Rupert Chavis' 90th - June 2005

Copyright 2005, Marvin T. Jones - all rights reserved