In the Oklahoma Dust Bowl
My grandfather toiled
His back toward the sun
Diamondbacks coiled
Hard labor he knew
Even from his birth
Not destined for a bank
Or any kind of mirth
Loved to hunt and tell
Stories as he went
He looked you in the eye
Said what he meant
But the blessed earth is what
Drove him on and on
Cotton, corn and wheat
In the early dawn
The earth, plowed so
Fresh and brown
Seeds and water, till
The sun went down
Then came the harvest
The gathering, the sale
Another year of blessing
Another prayer prevails
His life from the earth
The only one he knew
He never owned a new car
Material things were few
He had to work when
He was old, still very proud
The earth he loved so much
Still spinning in the clouds
page 116-117 Cowboys and Witches by John K Bucher
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