| ONCE UPON A PRAIRIE Hair thin, wheat bleached Standing tall under the Nebraska sun Ramrod tall she was all bone And sinew strong Made for holding toddlers in Check and pinning clothes On lines between gnarled trees Hoeing gardens and hauling water From the creek a mile away The sun is so thirsty in Nebraska She scowled at the haze Rising each day to scorch Hopes for dewy mornings into submission One day she cooked breakfast for the children, her man Washed dishes and pulled her sheaf of hair From under a brimmed hat Walked outside and dove into the long grasses Wave after delicious wave in the wind She swam |
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© 2004 Sheryl McCurdy
(All rights reserved)
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