Old Farmer
By: Wayne Brown
Dressed in your overalls; your rundown old work shoes
Years of farming sun creased the skin of your face
The wind has chapped your hands and lips
The prayer for rain has clenched your resolve
God bless an old farmer
Row after row you lay down those seed; one by one
Investing your money in the returns of tomorrow
The stock trader never played a more fierce game of odds
Mother Nature is a cruel teacher you know well
God bless an old farmer
Fight the weeds; fight the insects; fight to harvest time
All you have lies in these rows, your today and tomorrow
This is your ground and you intend it to remain
You caress this precious soil and give it all it needs
To delivery the yield and feed those who cannot
God bless an old farmer
It’s not a job or a hobby; any fool can see that
It’s a passion born in your genes from birth
It’s in your blood that flows through your veins
Man and the land are one welded in time
Facing the same challenges together
God bless an old farmer
You love your country; love your flag, love your Lord
Your prayers and dedication to His Word
No for a minute do you forget that truth
God’s rain will bring the love; the crops will flourish again
The day will be won like so many times before
God bless an old farmer
The day will finally come; you’ll till the land no more
The day will come when you must take to the porch
Stare out across the precious land with eyes that proudly see
All that you have accomplished here
All the good that you have done
God bless an old farmer, God bless him
For My Grandfather Lathem….
© Copyright WBrown2010. All Rights Reserved.
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Welcome to TCE, Wayne. This was a wonderful dedication to your grandfather and all the old farmers out there. I can relate, especially living in the driest continent on Earth. Many of our farmers are struggling with almost constant drought. Many are being forced,off the land as it is no longer viable, others are resorting to suicide.
I in fact had to resort to buying a truck of water for the first time in seven years, as our water tanks recently ran dry. If I could have waited two more days, we did get a little rain but not a lot. Thank you for sharing this poem.
Howdy pardner, so nice to see you have arrived Wayne Brown. You are an added welcome addition to this site. Your work is magnificent and you know how in the past I’ve commented on it, when we were fairly active at the Hubs a few years back. You are the one responsible for me writing poetry, so I am honored that you offered me challenge to try my hand at it. I haven’t stopped since. This is a wonderful poem about an old farmer and his plight working the land. Without farmers, we have no produce. It’s important for the governments of our world to support them fully, not work against them. I loved the tempo of this poem Wayne, you sir have that touch. I look forward to reading more of your great work as you publish it here. Again welcome to the site, I’m so happy to see you here cowboy.
Welcome to the creative exiles Wayne – nice piece about the farmers of old – I’m in the potato business myself, so I love all things tied to the dirt
Welcome my friend, and a great work to begin the journey. A heartfelt rendition to exalt your grandfather, a farmer with soil running through his veins. What a hard life, the undulations and disappointments of cycles that determine feast or famine. Beautifully penned in fluid phrasing and warm emotions of respect. Well done.
Welcome, Wayne. A really nice tribute to a well deserving man, I’m sure. I enjoyed the piece as a whole, but the 5th stanza really stood out to me, especially the line, “No for a minute do you forget that truth
God’s rain will bring the love; the crops will flourish again. Absolutely, sir. I’m glad to meet you here at TCE. Looking forward to more.
Great tribute to your grandfather, Wayne. My grandpa worked daily too until he could go no more into his 80s. I can’t imagine more rewarding work.
They’re fading fast now and being replaced by massive machines and corporations. The farmer will soon go the way of the cowboy and his trail herd. I too had such a grandfather, Wayne, and this one really got to me.
My gosh, Wayne. I do not recall ever seeing this post. Forgive my oversight. This is a very nostalgic piece. I grew up on farms in several parts of the state of Washington, PNW. My father was a tenant farmer during my childhood then went to his own farm and subsistence farming. It was a wonderful life for all of us. You have brought home some wonderful memories here. Yes, God bless the old farmer. Well done, Wayne.