“SETTIN’ IN THE SHADE“

by John Brewer Gibson (1907-1983)

You come in from the garden –
Your clothes are wringin’ wet –
An’ pull Old Joy, your lawn cheer,
To a shady place to set.
Lay down your hat, drop down your bib,
Peel off that soakin’ shirt,
And let the air blow through your hair,
A restin’ till you hurt.
I’ve never been much prayerful,
But settin’ in my cheer
A-listenin’ to the birds and leaves,
The Lord comes mighty near.
If I could choose my way to go
(And for it I ain’t prayed)
I’d like to pass from Here to There
A-settin’ in the shade.

(from “Remember Me”, John Brewer Gibson 1907-1983, Book #453, Richland County Genealogy Society, Olney, Illinois)