Scarecrow on the Skyline

[couchgrouch]

Scarecrow on the SkylineWe pulled up in Dad's old pick-upwith our whole lives in backI remember helping Grammadrag her rocker in our shackwith ragged gloves and rusty pliers,Dad ran some fencing wiregathered straw and stood a pole uprighthe gave up his hat n coat,and after one last smokeGramma gave up her corncob pipeto the scarecrow on the skylinethe patron saint of our farmwelcoming good fortunewith his open armspumpkins in the patchcowpeas on the vinedreams growing in our hearts,out there standing guardwas the scarecrow on the skylineGramma farmed hard as my parentscos she was the stubborn typewhen Dad laid her low that morninghe threw in that strawman's pipeone June the weather warned, of raging thunderstormswe left just ahead of the floodand after weeks of rain, all that remainedleaning slightly in the mudwas the scarecrow on the skylinethe patron saint of our farmwelcoming good fortunewith his open armspumpkins in the patchcowpeas on the vinedreams wilting in our hearts,out there standing guardwas the scarecrow on the skylinewell, a drifter came throughon the lamb from the lawhe took that scarecrow's hat n coatthe autumn wind took the strawsome tried to salvage their harvestbut the bankers foreclosed fastGramma's stone says that farmingis a life that's fragile asthe scarecrow on the skylinethe patron saint of our farmwelcoming good fortunewith his open armspumpkins in the patchcowpeas on the vinedreams growing in our hearts,out there standing guardwas the scarecrow on the skyline(c)2004 Robert George