Two-Handled Saw

[couchgrouch]

Two-Handled SawThey'd lost sev'ral goats to high plains twistersand one wagon horse to renegade Cherokeenight winds echoed their doubtful whisperslike the mockings of some ghostly parakeetdrowning in dust...their tired wheels were draggin'some in their train turned for home in their trackswhen flaming arrows burned his ragged wagonall poor Jed's fam'ly saved was some old pick-axand a two-handled saw, a two-handled sawthey'd packed for their migration westalong with prayers and dreams, that property and meanslay at the end of their questthe journey gave Jed and his wife no quarteron the pilgrim trail their boys perished of the poxthey slept in brush along the Texas borderonly the dead had homesteads made of rocksthough loss and death left them weak and saddenedthey were born and bred of hardy folkthey'd hoped for a spot to build a simple cabinand one day they approached a grove of oakwith a two-handled saw, a two-handled sawthey'd packed for their migration westalong with prayers and dreams, that property and meanslay at the end of their questthey built their farm and their fam'ly anewfor years they lived in a peaceful place of their ownone night the half moon was a heavenly canoeand a small band of Commanche raided their homeJed's leg took arrows and their pigs were slaughteredhis children screamed and his poor wife beggedtwo nights later their eldest daughterhelped Jed's wife take off his rotten legwith a two-handled saw, a two-handled sawthey'd packed for their migration westalong with prayers and dreams, that property and meanslay at the end of their questone way of life was starting, one was endingJed knew loss of life and limb was his price to payif the natives' land wasn't worth defendingthen Jed and others wouldn't want it, anywayyeah, the harder the sowing the sweeter the reapingand later in life Jed gathered some good years inthe day they layed him low his wife was weepingas she sat by his gravesite playing a hymnon a two-handled saw, a two-handled sawthey'd packed for their migration westalong with prayers and dreams, that property and meanslay at the end of their quest(c)2004 Robert George