LORI

There is a woman I know

as well as anyone can know

a woman, I guess.

She’s Texan, born in a

seventy-mile-an-hour

panhandle blizzard.

Her daddy away,

the doctor’s knife

did what had to be done,

but here she is, daughter

of an arid sun, wide spaces,

and the Palo Duro.

The Lano Estacado

hasn’t been easy

on her though, fifty

years of men with hard

hands and dark hearts have

left scars so deep, you can’t even

see them. I like to watch

in the morning dark, while she

sits alone with her coffee

to argue her case against life,

the universe, and everything.

But here’s what counts:

her heart still works,

and if she feels like taking

a chance, thinks maybe you’re

okay, she’ll lean into your side,

and whisper, just behind your

ear, what happened,

because she wants

to see if you understand

what it’s like to live with

tarantulas, scorpions,

rattlesnakes, and cowboys…

and understand that

prickly pears are beautiful

and delicious if you handle them

with a careful, tender touch.

Author's Note

A wild tale, a woman made of gunpowder, and a not quite unfulfilled fantasy...

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Reminds me of Patricia Neal's "Alma Brown" in Hud.

j.

[Vol]

Jacob,
Funny you should mention that... She live just down the road from Claude, Texas, where Hud was filmed... She's a fifth generation rancher...
Vol

[Chris Shaw]

That’s some explosive woman, handle with care. Seems you know what you are doing. Great write Vol.

Chris

[andrew mitchell]

Brilliant write Vol. some woman cannot be tamed wild as they are.

[Vol]

Andrew,
But OH! what a ride that was...
Vol

[Lorry]

Well, this may come as a surprise to you Vol, but I have known at least eight Lori's in my lifetime (I think they hear my name and that's an instant connection in itself, but I only know one other guy called Laurie and he was in my primary school class, which was more than confusing enough for me.
But your tale tells me that we only ever get to know people for a reason and if they let you know them, in however much they allow.
We are trusted if they do and we should always appreciate being confided in.