Store Bought Eggs

“Where’re you from?” 
That’s usually the first question I get when people first meet me.  
I guess I am a little bit different,
after all, I was born on a hill-side farm, so steep
that daddy had to go out every morning and turn the cows around
so their legs wouldn’t grow shorter on one side.
But, that’s life in the mountains,
when every day is a hard-scrabble fight just to get by.
Most people don’t believe it;
don’t believe that there are real people still living
a hand-to-mouth life,
still, fight’n every day for tomorrow’s breakfast
and worrying if this year’s corn will make
or if a flood will ruin the sweet potatoes before the Fall harvest --
Worrying about whatever critter’s got the hens spooked
so bad they ain’t laid in two weeks
all while little Junior’s got the croup
and the nearest Doctor is more than an hour away
we ain’t got insurance anyway
and who’s got money to pay.
It’s work six days a week, sun-up to sundown,
but Sunday’s are for praying
and listening to the preacher lead us in “Amazing grace,
how sweet the sound,”
just so we’re reminded of how blessed we really are
while we try to hold our eyes open 
because we were up all night with a sick mare trying to foal
and the two hours of sleep we did get 
were interrupted by a wheezing cough from Grandma’s room.
But every other week we get a trip to town,
With a stop at the feed store and  Wal-Mart
so we can look at what-not while momma buys flour 
and store bought eggs until the hens start lay’n again.

Reviews

[Papaya]

This is super James. What a slice this is. My grandma in Macedonia lived in the mountains. Was a heck of time getting there. We rode the mules part way when we were kids but mostly hiked. Heck of a trip but so worth it. My mom's family live in a little farming village there. I think that's partly what influenced my move away from the city. Anyhow, this was something I really enjoyed. Super writing.

[James]

Thank you, so much, you know I always enjoy yours so much. I'm so glad you enjoyed this.

[Lorry]

Oh, I believe it James. There are more people than we know still struggling to get by, keeping the land alive, so that we can park our big a*s cars at the big a*s supermarket, for the convenience of us not having to, while our asses get bigger and the supermarkets pass on the least amount possible to the ones that make it all happen. Where would we be without them?
Thought provoking words, superbly penned.

[Samuel Dickens]

My thoughts and concern are with the poor and working class, and always shall be. This is your story, so I'll not dilute it with my own details of hungry bellies and ragged clothes. The poor will always be among us--did someone famous say that?
I followed these words along with interest and understanding, for I know they're true. Excellent work, James.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

wow this caught my attention...just was in NC in the mountains..noticing the farms and commenting to myself on all of those cows grazing on the steep sides of mountain pastures wondering how they could keep their balance.

life is a strange balance sometimes...all the emotions...all of the questions as to why our lives aren't more fruitful...why they get emotionally tilted...

and who might be the one to come out and turn us around?

such a good poem.

j.

[...]

The title caught my eye...
These are bad memories, James? I see this a a big chunk of salt pork for a pot of beans.
Lots of earthy in this flavor-ful art, sir. You should be proud you know tough. Them deep roots will keep you grounded when so many others are blown around in the winds of chaos :)

[James]

na, not bad memories, but it is those memories, that like you say keep us grounded. Glad you stopped by.

[barleygirl]

This is a vividly-told story! I love it. This was how I grew up & you've nailed it perfectly. I love the way the chickens aren't laying in one part & then later, the store-bought eggs wrap up this description of a hard life. I remember when store-bought ANYTHING seemed so nice/fancy/convenient . . . but nowadays, we long for the robust realness of homegrown, compared to the pale deficient store-bought versions. Overall, your description of this life is so well detailed, not one thing felt out of place or not true-to-life.

[James]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I haven't been writing much lately so I'm just getting back in the groove.

[Ted Kniffen]

James, this is a very good description of the kind of life a lot of us had, from baking bread to visiting the two-holer. Very well written. I have vacationed on Hatteras for the past twenty years so I can appreciate the type of terrain your daddy dealt with, trying to keep the cows level. Good write and fun.

[James]

I have a lot of bad memories of that old two-holer. I've never been to Hatteras, but it's on my list. I live a bit further south, close to Wilmington. Glad you enjoyed this.