A Kentucky Mountain Top

I remember my father
when I was young
and he still had the lungs
of a young man.

The dirt under his nails,
the black soot
that never washed from the back of his neck
or from the creases that moved from his eyes;
those deep lines of a life lived in labor
are etched in my memory
like the jagged rocks from Black Mountain
that fall with the Fall showers.

The mines are gone,
but the mountain still bleeds
with every fresh rain 
a new layer is peeled off
it slides down the hills and valleys
filling the creeks with a new layer
of mud and silt.

The people of the valley will tell you 
of a time when they looked out their windows
and saw the majesty of the Cumberland,
but they are dreaming.
All I see is is a bald knob, muddy trails
that lead to muddy trails
and a wasted land.

And somewhere in this rolling hill country
my father is resting,
his fingernails scrubbed clean with time.

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

a stirring tribute to your father...and yes, it is interesting how we see things differently...the positive slant and/or the negative slant...

the hills of life are muddied..and we either see them as beautiful, or we just get buried under the landslide...

[James]

Ain't that the truth. Thank you jacob, I appreciate your insight.

[Dave Brown]

A well-visited piece with two strong messages
Losing the folks we love is difficult and watching our planet disintegrate is tragic
A mountain behind us is scheduled to be logged, I doubt the end result will positive but someone will make a s**t-load of money and that seems to be the guiding concept of man's relationship with the planet.

[Papaya]

Everyone sees things differently, sometimes our outlook and experiences define what we see or how we interpret it. Nice work James.

[James]

Yep, I still have a pretty good outlook despite my depressing writing, though. I love going home to the mountains. Thanks you.

[Relic]

I've tried three times to come up with a good review but my batteries are dying out. This is a great tribute to your father. Natures scenery can often hide its dark side too.

Great writing, James.

[Levi Levin]

Thanks for bringing light to a sad situation that exists. Greed with no concern for nature is a destructive force. Great piece!

[barleygirl]

This is an awesome statement about the pillaging of our lands, gracefully stated to pack a punch. Excellently detailed descriptions & realistic lifetimes portrayed from a simple countrified state of mind *smile* Fondly, Margie