Home Made Ice Cream

When I was five we lived on a ranch
still forty miles and five years
away from electric power

We only got to eat ice cream
when hail lay deep enough on the ground
to be scooped into the old hand mixer

Many a hot evening in August and July
five of us sat on those hard ranch steps
looking out at the Western sky

Watching the black clouds and the grey
building and rolling our way

Silently praying our protestant Hail Marys
four for and Dad against

This is the time in the life of the farm, between seeding and harvest, where all is in God’s hands. It will rain, or it won’t, it will hail, or it won’t. Might as well go fishing.
We will be honoring that tradition by taking a couple of weeks off to enjoy a little traveling.
Wishing you ease and grace as well. Neil and Patricia

One thought on “Home Made Ice Cream

  1. Katie Laine

    Have a wonderful two week respite.
    I look forward to your poems and am touched by each one. They evoke feelings for which I as yet have no adequate words. You are an exceptional poet.

    Reply

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