CAN’T TAKE THE FARM OUT OF THE BOY
What I learned
of poetry from my father
is that the tractor sings
at just this RPM
Author Archives: neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com
SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE
SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE
The farmer prays for rain
and goes right back to work
he seeds the seeds
and he weeds the weeds
and oats his horse if he has one
but as summer goes by
he may scan the sky
with the boils and the patience of Job
and mutter
as Job might have muttered
while trying to set a good example for God
HORIZONS AREN’T EQUAL OUT HERE
HORIZONS AREN’T EQUAL OUT HERE
The East is fine
for color on the way to the barn
but by the time the chores are done it’s gone
The rest of the day we watch the West
That’s where the weather comes from
That’s the direction the grandfathers faced
when they got this far and found
what they were looking for
or gave up
unhitched the horses
and sat down to watch the sun set
GOOD ADVICE
GOOD ADVICE
Whenever anything got broke or lost
Kim’s mother would always say:
Don’t cry over anything that can’t cry over you
Which is a good thing to remember
when your life becomes a country song
and your dog, and your wife, and your truck are gone
Your dog will miss you right away
and cry with the coyotes all the night
your wife will miss you later – maybe
and cry for all the coulda’s that might
but you’re sadly mistaken
if you think that old C-10 Chevy
following the repo truck down the lane
is going to miss you half as much as you miss it
THE TURKEY SHOOT
THE TURKEY SHOOT
Small town Saskatchewan
raising money for the curling rink
Targets fifty feet away
and old bent-sight 22’s to shoot
The trick to bringing a turkey home
was not how well at the bullseye shot
but how fast you learned that life
is sometimes
three inches down
and two to the left of where you aim
THE FARM, THE RANCH AND THE SWEEPING SCYTHE
THE FARM, THE RANCH
AND THE SWEEPING SCYTHE
Sunrise can be brilly bright
and all day long
everything out to get you
The horse can kick or fall
the bull has horns of steel
Every machine is grinding its teeth
in wait for a chance to bite
and every snowstorm
eager to find you
too far from the barn
and stiffen you like the manure-pile cat
The sunsets worth surviving for
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS FOR GRINGOS
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS FOR GRINGOS
Refused a feast
on but one day a year
they nibble at our every hour
UNO MAS PARA LOS MUERTOS
UNO MAS PARA LOS MUERTOS
Though
the tears of the dead
be without salt
It is
likely more kind
to remember to act
in ways that bring them joy
A BEDTIME STORY WITH GOD IN IT
A BEDTIME STORY WITH GOD IN IT
After the mother father God
had coupled long in the joy
of telling their he-she she-he selves
stories of suns and moons and planets and plants
and critters to scamper and fly they said why don’t we make one that can tell tales too
and make them come true
and that my dear was you
IT IS ENOUGH
IT IS ENOUGH
It is enough
that the baby smiles
even if it’s only gas
It is enough
to know that God exists
though it take a lifetime and a minute more
It is enough
that the dog loves you
at the end of a day filled with cats
It is enough
that the rainbow
can arch your back straight again
It is enough
to watch a sunset
It is enough
that leaves fall like butterflies
It is enough
that joy exists
even when others have it all
It is enough
that the other knee feels fine
It is enough
that in dreams you can still fly
It is enough
that poetry is in the bible too
It is enough
that gifts
come in the size of gratitude