My Dusty Soul

Their mother dreamed of better things for her little girls in this life She wanted more, than to be poor as an abusers little wife

I traveled west to the sunset

where the desert begins to roast

the heat baked down, on every town

across the plain onto the coast

I came upon an old Buick

a woman two children in curls

Their dreams stranded, their car branded

a look of sorrow on the girls

 

I pulled my pickup in behind

walked to the window said "hello"

Offered a ride, "its cool inside

come with me and we'll find a tow"

At first they wouldn't come along

choosing instead to stay and bake

"We'll have to stay, cause I can't pay

I think this trip was a mistake"

 

 

The girls were all of ten years old

their pain had tested their belief

Innocent pawns, of sun-baked bronze

whose pleading eyes begged for relief

I saw in them the Grapes of Wrath

headed west on little money

relief from strife, a better life

in the land of milk and honey

 

I took them ten miles down the road

an oasis like a mirage

A bit of luck, found a tow truck

had the car towed to the garage

We shared a lunch that afternoon

their radiator was repaired

I'd eased their trials, restored their smiles

it felt good to know I had cared.

 

Their mother dreamed of better things

for her little girls in this life

She wanted more, than to live poor

as an abusers little wife

 I never gave the girl my name

fighting against my vanity

Theirs was a goal, that saved my soul

sharing with them humanity

Author's Note

It was 1998. I was crossing the western dessert to the coast. I remember this woman and her two little girls. How scared they were to be on the road alone and broke down. The sun was so relentless that day. I was on a trip to southern California to deliver a box to the docks. I had a hard time convincing them to go with me. I paid the mechanic to fix the car and gave the woman money for gas. The little girls so like my own. The mechanic brought their car around. The girls were drinking pop on the bench outside the diner, awash in smiles as I drove off toward the setting sun. I know they thought that I had been a godsend. What they didn't know was that they had given me much more than I did them. I found my thoughts drifting back to my own children and thinking of how blessed I was.

Reviews

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I liked this. We just never know when or where we are going to need a helping hand so it's always good to lend one when we can. These days folks are just as scared someone trying to help might be a mass murdering lunatic. When I was a kid I remember waving at complete strangers driving down the road and they waved back. We left our doors unlocked at night and kids could go out walking alone without fear. The world gets a little crazier every day I think. Great piece here Tate.

[Tate Morgan]

Fabian always a treasure to see you here. You lend a lot of class to this place. I know the world has changed. However I refuse to go through life afraid. thank you

[Dean Kuch®]

"Their dreams stranded, their car (branded?)...---->I loved this poem of a good deed done for total strangers, Tate, I really did. But, this one, single line stuck with me, and bothered me awhile. I thought to myself, How is a car 'BRANDED?" By Ford, or Chysler? Did someone take a branding iron to it's sheet-metal hide? How would I fix it, what else goes with stranded, and still make sense? I thought some more, and then...

I came upon an old Buick,
a woman, two children in curls
Dreams stranded, my presence commanded
Lugubrious stares from two small girls.

Other than that one line, which felt a bit forced and a bit of a stretch, this was a lovely poem...

[Tate Morgan]

Hi dean the thought of the car being branded by the sun referred to the blown radiator. As if the car were stopped dead in its track and fried .It fit well with the western ideal of the sun baking down upon the plains.thank you

[Dean Kuch®]

I sincerely hope others picked up on your implication. I certainly didn't. Good poem , though...

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you You are the first to say anything about it. i wondered if it would fly it seemed to do well i recorded it a few weeks ago on the radio show i call into in Denver and published it this week in my 3rd book :My Immortal Soul:

[Tate Morgan]

I often wonder what happened to them. But I imagine them now married and laying on a beach in Southern California happy and well.

[Dean Kuch®]

Let's hope they found happiness. You would, in some small way, have had a part to play in that.

[Tate Morgan]

I like to think So it felt good to not leave them there. I was 2500 miles from home and i couldnt help thinking of my own kids

[Devanshu Rajput]

A painful poem. If we cant gift someone humanity, so our wealth and existence is useless.

“Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat.”
― Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

By helping others we don't receive anything, but we remain in their heart which I think is most precious thing.

"Theirs was a goal, that saved my soul
sharing with them humanity"

I esp. liked this two ending Bravo Lines!

[Devanshu Rajput]

Good Luck

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you they gave me more than you know I loved watching the girls play unafraid drinking pop and knowing they would make it to california

[Zeitgeist Manifesto]

The greatest gift of all is to be able to be a blessing to another.

[Tate Morgan]

zeit it has been a long time my friend since last i heard from you thank you very much

[SteveB]

Bravo! A wonderfully structured and developed piece. I was so caught up in the narrative that at first I didn't notice the rhyme scheme. Which is a good thing because it means that it flowed effortlessly.

[Tate Morgan]

Hi Steve thank you for stopping by Yours is a friendship I think I will cherish in days to come

[Blue Moon Ice Cream]

Nice job of taking this event and really spinning it into a tale. Every line impressed me more with its wit and the way each word seemed to be perfectly chosen. "Innocent pawns, of sun-baked bronze" was my favorite.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you.I find it easier to tell stories of real life than of fiction.Perhaps that is why I prefer to write of them. Truth is stranger than fiction.

[Diane Lockard]

I smiled when I read your profile, my youngest daughter tells people, she had a Mayberry life too. We lived in a small town; where a sprawling mall is today, then, it was a pasture where they could ride bicycles, chase each other, and not have a care in the world...

Your poetry is superb, I call it "real-life," as it tells a story, and I can relate to a mother struggling to make a place for her little girls. I couldn't have made it without my family, friends, and Good Samaritians!

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you I write of all my experiences

[Diane Lockard]

Congratulations for being the Creator for this!
Diane

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you it was one that seemed to write itself

[KristynRuth]

Ah! I loved this so much. When I decline someone's nice gesture my mom always tells me "Do not take away other people's blessings." Sometimes it's not about receiving, it's about letting someone else give. I loved this!!!

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you Kristyn

[A Soap Mess Stories]

It gives you a good feeling when we can help someone in need. Beautiful words Tate! :-)

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you dear

[Winslow Des Totes]

This is beautiful and sweet. As always Tate your soul shines through your work and brightens it with it's golden glow. :) If only there were more people like you out there, no one would be stranded and alone.

[Tate Morgan]

Winslow thank you No matter how blessed any of us are we find ourselves in the same situation sometime in our life. On that day may we meet our own guardian angel.

[Petra Vlah]

"I'd eased their trials, restored their smiles" - that alone makes you a Man (with capital M) and the sad story becomes an uplifting one as it restores faith in human goodness

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you so much I really smiled at that