Rebel Rising

Feverish minds take strange turns

Rebel Rising

I took my hillbilly heart to the big bad city
I sat in those bars dressed in black and looking pretty
I listened to the music but it didn’t sound the same
You can’t change your culture
Just because you change your name

A coyote howling at a cigarette moon
Told me get back to Bama, girl, better make it soon
In a dagger of light as his eyes uncoiled
He said backwoods roots won’t grow in industrial soil

I’m a little bit of redneck in a long plaid dress
With a college education and a whole lot to confess
I’ve twisted up my ashes and watched the smoke curl
It takes more than Yankee temper to defeat a Southern girl

Seven swans are swimming in the eddies of my brain
The children of my memory run from shadows in the rain
I curl up in a boxcar headed toward the county line
I know that dinner will be waiting if I make it back on time

We all must make a journey someplace we don’t want to go
Learn lessons from a teacher that we do not wish to know
But in the travel and the study that always comes as pain
We find if we are patient we can come back home again

-Zoe Richardson

Author's Note

Some writers need alcohol to fuel their muse. Others choose chemical alteration. All I need is an immune deficiency and a spike in temperature.

Reviews

[FGFRANKLIN]

I grew up listening to tales of Jean Lafitte and watching John Wayne westerns which left me with a bit of a pirate meets cowboy persona. My great grandfather served under Lee in the Army of Northern Virginia. Amazingly enough, my eight year old daughter is only four generations removed from the Civil War. I have read dozens of books on that war and it certainly has become falsely oversimplified by far too many modern historians. What can we say other than the victors get to write the history books. I enjoyed the read.

[Vol]

Zoe,
Too many times, people think if they rhyme, they have to also sound like Dr. Seuss, but you are so skillful here, I was on the third stanza before I caught that you were rhyming at all! I have no idea if you are still in Alabama hollering Roll Tide! but there is something about being from the land of cotton that is rich and good. Give me cornbread and beans, biscuits and gravy over caviar and beef tartare any day!
Vol

[Zoe Richardson]

That is high praise indeed! I have found that when most people try to rhyme, they have difficulty finding the rhythm and meter to make it flow properly. The finished product is often stilted or awkward. I would like to say I worked hard at rhyming poetry but I must confess the rhymes have always been there in my head. I have no explanation for it and I can take no credit. It's just how my brain works. I am glad you appreciate this and thank you for reading.

[Vol]

Zoe,
I have said before there are a lot of people who write poetry, but very few poets... For poets, words are like little demons, or fairies, bouncing around looking for a way out...
Vol

[Zoe Richardson]

Oh, how right (write?) you are! To be a poet is a to be a tortured soul. There is no beauty without a little madness. But oh, how wonderful it is when we make friends with those little fairies!

[Vol]

Flit! Flit!

[Gee]

Nowt like grief or an illness to get the quill scratching across parchment, whoever invented happiness is the poets curse:)
Not many on here who wield a better pen than you:)

[Zoe Richardson]

Aww! Thank you, Gee. You are right, of course. To be a poet is to be a tortured soul. People think its all glitz and glamour, flitting about in berets and quoting rhymes. Okay, nobody really thinks that, but what people don't realize is that poetry springs from our deepest tragedies. If I wield a deft pen, it is because I get a lot of practice! I thank you for your praise, and accept it with a humble heart.

[Matthew Kult]

Elegantly creative, there is no place like home.

Great read

With love,

Matthew

[Zoe Richardson]

There isn't. Unfortunately, it takes leaving to fully appreciate what that means. If we are lucky, we can come back. If not, we cherish the memories. I cherish your praise and and hope that you will drop by again!

[Julian]

I love the poem but must admit to a veil of sadness as I read your accompanying note. May your health and life improve.

[Zoe Richardson]

Thank you! I have good days and bad days. But if we had no dragons to slay, or black dogs dogging our steps, we wouldn't be here writing poetry!

[Julian]

The words of a warrior. Bless you.

[Dave]

Sometimes the lessons we learn are harsh, but thank goodness there is always home to return to.
Zoe, I really like the way you express yourself.
Take care - Dave

[Zoe Richardson]

Thank you, Dave! I really like your deck and that nice grill beside you. The view (and the aromas) must be inspiring!

[Dave]

Thank you very much. We just had a new deck and grill installed earlier this summer. We really enjoy it.
Take care - Dave

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

You really put such elegance in this angry rant. now that is talent,

[Zoe Richardson]

Awww! I am truly humbled by your words. Go forth with my thanks and my blessing!