Where I Come From  

Back in the Missouri woods where I come from…
The dogs didn’t chase the chickens;
if they did, they didn’t for long.
 Where I come from, the pace never quickens.
  this life can be hard, you have to be strong,
  be vigilant and make sure your gravy thickens.
Life just goes on and on.
 One day comes then it’s gone,
 while we’d be praying for the next one,
 with its challenges, we’d say bring it on.  

Where I come from…
We sweated in the summertime humidity.
 Our house wasn’t equipped with central A/C.
We couldn’t afford that luxury,
and we didn’t get any color TV…until 1963.
 We said we had running water though,
 we just had to run up to the well,
 it was up the hill we’d go,
 then run back with the pail of water we’d filled.  

A farm back in the woods is where I came from…
There were chickens’ eggs we’d needed to gather,
if there were other things we’d rather do, it didn’t matter.
 The cows needed milked, and the hogs wanted slopped and fed.
Livestock don’t give you days off, it’s 365 days, 24/7.
 There’re 2 options, you can quit, or work until you’re dead.
But where I come from, that’s how we all made a livin’.  

Where I come from…
We never by some measure had much in material worth,
but we always had each other.
 We knew we were truly loved, and we knew it from birth,
 made known daily, by our father and mother.
While there was a lot we went without,
there was plenty that we could do without,
we knew little stress, apprehension, or doubt.

-W.E. David  1.19.2021



Down on the Riverbank

Down on the banks of the Big Piney River,
family and friends on a Friday night,
we’d all head down and we’d all begin to gather.
 It’d be just about sunset, beginning of twilight.The old men would be getting the BBQ grills to light,
everybody would be hungry later that night.
 We’d be fixing to go Catfish fishing,
 and we’d be there most of the night.We’d line up the folding lawn chairs,
putting them in a spot that was just right,
close enough to the water,
but not too far from the firelight.Folks would be getting their favorite fishing poles ready to bait.
 When you tie on that chicken liver,
 those Catfish can’t wait.
BBQed Catfish or pan-fried, always taste great.I was a boy I recollect, of just 13,
I’d been told to keep my eyes peeled real keen.
 I was volunteered to be on “Cottonmouth” watch,
 because water moccasins can kill all the fish that you catch.The time before, we were here fishing,
all of a sudden, fish on the stringer started violently splashing.
 Uncle Gary went to see the cause of the commotion.
2 water moccasins were after the fish was his instant determination.There was only one thing my uncle could do,
he immediately went and grabbed his Remington 22.
 Plinked a few rounds into the water, and the thrashing-about ceased.
We had to pick out the fish that were stiff, as they were now deceased.Tonight, the nearly full moon is shining bright,
I can see clearly across the river, not a snake in sight.
 I’ll keep my eyes peeled all the same, you never know.
The fish we catch tonight we want to eat,
and not back in the river have to throw.Family and friends getting together on a Saturday night,
talking, laughing, eating, fishing, having fun and doing it up right.
 I can’t think of a better time to be had,
 unless you don’t like Catfish and fishing,
 then I guess that’d really be too bad!



‍Hard Times

Hard times.
People are starting to see hard times.
 They’re starting to see just how hard, hard times can be.
I have written of such times,
in poems written out in rhymes.
 Writing of times of mine throughout my days,
  the things I’ve known and learned in my time, back a ways.
Things I discovered and determined, I’ve tried to convey,
some messages to folks I’ve tried to relay.Hard times like in the past,
now again have become the new reality.
 No one can say just how long they will last.
Now people can more than just hear how hard it can be.
 Now, so many are starting to feel it themselves unfortunately.
Long lines at the gas stations for gas that’s in short supply.
 A long search for formula for the babies, you must try and try.
At the supermarket, some of the shelves are bare.
 Some food that used to be, is no longer there.
A lot of people are feeling the pinch, and are finally starting to care.Hard Times today,
are becoming a big pain I hear people say.
 When hard times get harder,
 it’ll be more than the money they’ll pay
When some folks start dying from freezing,
the times will be so terribly painful,
while more die from starving.
 The misery experienced so needlessly is so shameful,
 all because of some deranged people with crazy ideas.
Some people in power who will never change,
no matter how many millions give voice to their pleas.
 There’s a mission to destroy and totally arrange,
 the once free life we all once knew.
Only if we sit back and allow it, will it come true.

William David has had a successful 45-year career as a Senior Architectural & Engineering Designer. He worked with international mining companies, designing Gold, Silver, and Copper processing plants all over the world, including the first SX-EW copper processing plant built in Asia, located in Monywa, Myanmar. He likes spending time now devoted to his passion, reading, reviewing, and writing poetry. William writes for his pleasure and for the pleasure of those who might read his poems.


Published 3rd March, 2023.