THE TELL

                             An Evolution Through Time
                                       © C. S. Roberts 2010

When it's you who does the Tell,
Speak of those who made the way;

of all the ones who watched and taught

the ones by whom all things were wrought.
When it’s your turn to do the Tell-
explain it all, explain it well.
When you make the stories live,
Remember those with much to give;
Who gave all and then gave more,
The ones for whom the Tell is for.

Go way back to memories dim
When she was She and he was Him,
Back to when the world was new
When volcanoes roared and  wind did too
Before the animals before the grass
before these things had come to pass…
a cell now forms in waters blue
divides and grows till it’s something new
something not seen here before,

something which the earth is for.

 

Center yourself and connect to earth

breath the air which from your birth

with all before you shared and grew

Come with me now to when all was new.

Open your mind, set it free

to become you with them and them with thee

All complete, now join with me.

Go back through your memories

Ancient, arcane

Into yourself before remembering.

 

Back to your Ancestors,

Now go back some more

to find out the truth of what the Tell is for.

Cellular memories call us back deep

Back to the “Power Mind” which now wakes from  sleep.

We blend with the Old Ones

we go back to “The Void” to find how we left it

to find to see what is stored.

A profound sense of reverence your past holds for you

who come back to visit when all was quite new.

 

Allow this communion of understanding to pass

through you and to inform you of your human-ness.

A reunion of humanity with its heritage, its past

calls you to remember and reconnect at last.

Remember, remember, the taste and the feel

of primordial forest make it once again real.

'Dawning of Life' now call to your mind

from the salty sea waters that nurtured mankind.

Remember your cells division and growth

we carry this in us, you and me both.

 

These cells from within, now form in waters blue
they divide and grow till they become something new.
This motion has purpose, pulsing with life

We are moving and changing, our potential is rife!

These soft pulses convert both form and shape

define them and strengthen them a design to remake.

This divergence has meaning, direction and line

their purpose is creation, their creation sublime.

Again the division, the divergence and now pain

as with your new lungs you have changed once again.

 

You are now a new creature in a new living space,

you burrow for safety to escape the foot race.

You smell the rich loam, verdant plants are your fare

you hide from the others down deep in your lair.

Because you're evolving and changing again

know now the security of strong supple limbs

That carry you safely over chasm and gorge

you are a new life form

straight from the earth's forge.

The climate is changing; it’s time to move on

 

Divergence is calling as something feels wrong.

The world's heat is fiercer; drought makes you decide

to search high and low for a place to abide

and in your search, you find that the sea

holds riches of food for all of your needs.

To rejoin your beginning from some missing link,

Long lost to the sea, as fast as a blink, your quintessence

Changes, becomes longer and sleek.

You glide through the water as quick as a wink.

As genetics take action, change fur into scales

 

and breath comes from gills that allow you to sail

below the surface, under the sea

You no longer walk, you swim and are free.

You say goodbye to cousins that stay on the land

You live again in the water and not on the sand.

The water world keeps you for only a while

then some force calls you go that next mile.

Divergence now pulls you back to the land

and once more you change though you don’t understand

Just where you’re going nor how far you’ve been but

evolving’s a must from without and within.

Your lungs are back to give life to your form

You now walk upright and wear skins to keep warm.

You give milk from your body to nourish your child

You hunt others for food much like when you were wild.

Your fore legs now hold and carry your things,

Tools that you’ve made, arrows and slings.

You now marvel at sights from your new point of view

Places to travel, things to charm you.

You recognize beauty, you recognize food,

 

you know that cool water can make you feel good.

You now can spot places to lie down and rest

Places of safety that seem to be best.

Your brain is now changing from memories that guide

You now can solve problems, find places to hide.

You learn and create, you build and connect

And soon you’ve a family with love and respect.

There’s safety in numbers and work now is shared.

The tribe is now growing with the children it bears.

You now look to leaders to guide and correct

 

You follow the Shaman and give him respect

As he draws symbols with smoke in the air

To call in the spirits ask them to come there.

You scarcely now breath as the ages are joined

And Ancestors secure you from battles that harm.

Things that cause illness, disaster and death

Things from the Spirits that strike quick as breath.  

Your fear and amazement are sated again

when the Medicine Woman joins force with him.

She’s an agent of Spirit and knows what to do

 

To save all from illness and your animals too.

Those two know the Spirits and what they demand

The rituals and prayers, they keep close to hand.

The Holy Ones guide you and teach you the way

To placate the Spirits so you have a good day.

The gift of fire has been given to Man

you’ll soon learn to use what you can’t understand

You find that it warms the places you stay

And the light from the flames keeps the darkness away.

It cleans the unwanted, it purges the land

 

To make way and make room for the essence of man.

you are learning the names of all around you

As you learn what to call them, you learn what to do

To use them to help and nourish the clan

To uplift the people and all understand

That respect for the Spirits and Holy Ones too

Will guide and uphold you

And help you get through

The hardest to things that may happen to you.

We have seen quite enough it’s time to move on

 

The weather is fickle; the warmth now is gone.

Watch for the changes as we move through the years

We See bigger oceans, we feel different fears

We may notice caves that the ancestors knew

We look ‘cross the chasm that separates you

From those Ancient Ones from whence you came

You live a new existence, you live a new game

You see the kaleidoscope of change in the land

As you move through transition you now understand

 

That the lights in the heavens are the fires in the night

Of the Ancients who guide you and keep everything right

They shine down each evening from up in the sky

To show the way to the unborn  who hover nearby.

As you grow and evolve you learn so much more,

these are stars that you see, not campfires from before

You learn about villages that now shelter the folk

The people build houses from cedar and oak.

You buy and trade but still live off the land

And all of the people give each other a hand.

 

Each one has a talent, their own set of chores

to keep the town working as the clans did before.

We stop for a moment at the village Withae (say with-ay)

The medicine woman who has much to say.

She is connected to knowledge arcane

She speaks with the Gods and then she explains

She tells the village the plants that will heal

she makes sure the animals that will make a good meal

are there when they’re needed because she can feel

energies of Nature that to her are so real

She who helps with birth and death

And remembers the prayers that serve the folk best

She who’s all knowing, all seeing most feared

She helps honor the Old Ones, those most revered

A new cult is coming, taking over the land

It wants you to change and you don’t understand

Their piety is choaking life from all things

All you revered is crushed now by kings

All that was Sacred, Free, Holy and Wild

is now taken from you like you were a child.

 

Everything that you worshiped is now wrong and corrupt

Your faith is so shaken; the change is abrupt.

You go to the Withae to ask what to do

You all are bereft by this dogma, this thing they call new

Relax says the Withae, there’s nothing to dread.

We shall worship in darkness, whilst they’re all in bed

The Groves are all hidden and we’ll hold to our truth

The Goddess will guide us just as in our youth.

And true to Her word you find what you need

And in your exile, you plant a strong seed.

 

Now you worship in secret, hidden by night

She leads the Rituals that must stay out of sight.

For the new religion wants to stamp out the Old

Malign and destroy make their new ideas bold

They do it by stealth, they do it with lies

They tear down, destroy, and criticize

They threaten, they scare, they promise long life

If the Old Way just  back off and give them no strife

The new build their churches where Sacred groves stood

They force us to worship as they think we should

 

On certain days and at certain hours,

They hide sacred knowledge away inside of their towers

These are places of greed and control

Places the usurpers grow roots and take hold

These are the ones who want our Sacred sites gone

The ones who want all, our submission, our songs.

At the behest of the leaders, the ones that we trust

We bend the knee because it’s a must

We have lost too many who stood up to fight

The time will arrive when we can stand in the light

 

What they do not know, and must never learn

Is that deep in the darkness our fires still burn

Here is the thing that they’ll never know,

we can adapt and so we all go

to new Sacred Groves, we visit at night

We keep them a secret so we don’t have to fight

With this new God of theirs they say is kind

But then he will kill you if you step out of line.

So we do what we must to look “Good” to them

Our Faith is alive so there’s  no requiem   

 

 

 

 

 

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From THE COLLECTION

Poetry and Prose from Chessie Roberts

AKA C.S. Roberts

 

 

                                         TODAY
                            Musings of Chessie on a very odd sensation of my life

                                                      © October 1, 2010

Today feels odd and strange to me
as I wander aimlessly…not so, but it feels, I'm detached.
Like a wraith I float through
the daily things I need to do,
not without connection, nor
without purpose, but,
seemingly without anchor of body to hold me;
to keep me here, to enclose my mind.
Should I drift off I’m not sure anyone would notice that I’m not here.
At this point I myself cannot tell if I am really here. 

                                          ALONE 

                                                           ©Chessie Roberts, October 10, 2010

The deeper the feelings go
the fewer people there are,
understanding runs shallow or
just skitters over the surface.
“It’s time you found out.”

“Yea I knew that”

“Are you just figuring that out?”
They don’t help.
They just make it more…painful, empty, hollow, lonely.

RED FLAGS AND WHY WE OFTIMES DON’T SEE THEM OR WISDOM AND TRUE SIGHT

 

RED FLAGS AND WHY WE OFTIMES DON’T SEE THEM

OR

WISDOM AND TRUE SIGHT

© C.S. Roberts 2025

A few weeks ago, I was on an online radio show where we were discussing the programming in which we, as children (specifically female children) were raised. It seems, sadly, that this particular form of manipulating, brainwashing programing is still alive and well. Something that one of us said (I don’t remember who or exactly what was said) lived in my head as an echo for several hours.

I finally gave in and went into a meditation to  find out what was nagging me to look at it deeper. It came to me like a dash of cold water “With wisdom comes true sight” I was thrilled and all goose-bumpy for a few minutes. I reveled in my new knowledge until it dawned on me to wonder what THAT meant and where it would lead?

What came to me is the undeniable fact that we all are programed from birth. Now, don’t get upset here, I’m not pointing fingers or blaming anyone for anything, I am attempting to explain so stay with me.

When we come into this incarnation, we immediately become the concentrated concern of everyone around us. They want us to both understand this new thing called life and our place in it. We need to know how to become self-sufficient with all that entails, how to become good decent people  as befits the mores and standards of the family, the community, the village, town, or city in which we reside. This teaching also comes from the traditions of our culture, faith and, quite frankly, the county, state and country where we are raised. We are a very manipulated and shaped animal, we humans. No wonder most of our growing up is so confusing BUT, that’s not all of it.

On top of all those other things we have advertising, input from friends and extended family. If that isn’t enough, we now have social media that is anything but social as well as the types of music and television you plug into. All of this leads us to having to figure out how to use our own thought process, discernment and intelligence to begin to think for ourselves and to overcome our deep-seated programing.

I have told you the above to take you to my next point. As we are raised, so we grow, think, understand and feel about issues that crop up in our everyday lives. If we are raised in an environment of abuse, that is our idea of what normal looks and feels like. Conversely, if we’re raised in a loving and nurturing environment, that is how we see and feel the ‘normal’ in life. Now, here’s the kicker, the two ‘normals’ I have just described are on a very slippery sliding scale. When we feel comfortable in a situation, we stay there even if the conditions aren’t to our best interest. We will stubbornly hang on until we realize letting go and leaving would serve us better. Even then, our reactions to this unsettling situation are determined by our programing until such a time that we learn better coping mechanisms. This step takes a lot of inner work which some do and some don’t.

In the case of those who don’t learn new, better ways to cope, they stay in the same patterns that keep them in the loop of being manipulated. The difference here is that they are now doing it to themselves based on old, learned behavers. They cling to the demons they know, the ones that feel and look ‘normal’.

Those of us who do the deep inner work learn better so old patterns are broken. Old habits are changed to better ones. Red flags are identified and avoided. Life is better all the way around. How do we get caught up in these things in the first place you ask?

We, as humans, have a tendency to make the decision that we think we ‘know’ about something, whether we really understand it or not. We decide it’s the way it’s supposed to be and, more often than not, that’s the end of it. The truth is that, when we firmly  decide and are convinced that we know anything, we shut down and stop looking for anything more to learn about it. (The Dunning-Kruger effect is one example of this, there are others.)

Why is this important? It’s important because those audio files running in your mind, as well as the things you have observed and have reinforced by your actions and what you tell yourself, continue to enforce your programmed ideas, actions and reactions in relationship to yourself and others. Let that sink in for a minute.

Here’s an example of what I’m referring to. In The Blakemore and Cooper1) experiment they took two litters of kittens that were kept in the dark for several weeks and were then exposed to environments with either vertical or horizontal planes for a specified amount of time. These lines, either vertical or horizontal, were projected into the space so that they were the only things the kittens could see, therefore they became familiar with their assigned lines. When the kittens were placed in the opposing areas with things they had never seen before, they weren’t readily able to recognize what was new to them. The ones from the vertical room could not recognize horizontal lines and the kittens raised in the horizontal space were unable to see the vertical planes. The result was that visual (and for this article behavioral) perception is not purely innate but heavily shaped by our environmental input as well.

And here we are back at the original question. Why do most of us have difficulty recognizing the red flags in our lives until they hit us in the face and/or stab us in the back?

The simple answer is they are what we see and believe is normal (whatever that means to those involved in any given situation.) A lot of us have not seen them for what they are because they look, feel and sound like what we’re used to. Until we don’t. Here’s the good news, “Once we become aware, we cannot become unaware.” ( Evolution of Self Program, C. S. Roberts) 

The insidious establishment of this process takes years, however, as you wake up to it and learn how to rewrite your own, personal programming, it becomes easier. As we raise ourselves out of the miasma of our old programing and begin to see things from a higher perspective, we start to see the holes, the red flags and the traps from a clearer vantage point. From our new, aware, elevated frame of reference, we get better at avoiding those things. It’s the hole in the sidewalk example. Until you start looking ahead, remembering your past mistakes and learning from them, you will continue to fall into the hole.

We, as people do, stubbornly continue to stick to what we think we know whether it gets us the desired effect or not. Until we learn better, know better and do better, we will keep making the same mistakes and wondering why. So, look up, look ahead and see those flags! Learn from them, avoid them, change your mind set about them and stand in your own power because with wisdom comes true sight.

C. S. Roberts

 

1(Blakemore and Cooper (1970) | Reference Library | Psychology | tutor2u) 

 

 

NATURE'S PALETTE

© CS Roberts Nov.18,2010

In Spring She paints with pastels and lace.

Summer brings hues and all shades of green.

Fall is a riot of golds, yellows, reds, and

colors for which we clumsy humans have no words.

In Winter She is subdued in a palette of grays

made interesting by play of shadow and light.

 
 

                           A Sam, Mary, Jenny and Elliot Story 

                                         By C. S. Roberts

"Hi everyone! I'm here to tell you about some friends of mine. Their names are Sam, Mary and Jenny. They are great friends who have all sorts of adventures and fun together. I met them one day while I was sitting with some of my animal and fairy friends in the deep woods. Sometimes I go with them on their magical sojourns. 

Who am I you ask? Well, my name is... gosh, I'm not sure how to say it in your language, just call me KOL that means Keeper of the leaves, cause that's what I be. 

                                                                        Artist Unknown
Anyway, on this particular day, I wasn't with them, but I heard about it later and I thought I'd share it with you. This is the Tale of the Tree of Gratitude

                                 Tale of Sam, Mary, Jenny and Elliot

The day was beautiful, not too warm, not too cool but just the right temperature to make one want go on an adventure, so the friends had decided to take a hike in the woods just outside town. They were four in number, Jenny, Mary, Elliot and Sam. Sam was the tacit leader, and the rest usually went along with whatever he wanted to do. Of all of them Jenny would stand up to Sam more than the other two. Today Sam had suggested that there were secrets to be discovered in the woods and, because it did sound so appealing and Jenny was game, they all thought the idea was sound.

They struck out early in the morning with no real plan or preparation but, at the time, that didn’t seem important. The mist was rising from the wooded valley below lending a feel of mystery and anticipation to the trip. The road out of town was rather boring because they saw it every day but just on the other side of the city limit sign the group became very interested in the landscape through which they trudged. The woods moved in close to the road with the ferns and undergrowth creating enticing paths that beckoned to the children. The further away from town they went, the thicker and greener the forest became. With Sam in the lead, they passed many an interesting path until he found one that he just could not ignore.

As he turned down what seemed to be a trail for game, probably used by the animals of the forest, probably deer, he realized that the others had stopped. Turning to see what had caught their attention Sam had to laugh at the looks of awe on their faces. The wonder of the forest had them spellbound. He cleared his throat to startle them back to the adventure at hand and they fell in behind him. The deeper into the woods they went, the more their excitement grew. Their senses were tingling, and they were both afraid to proceed and anxious to push on all at the same time. The smell of rich damp loam mixed with the tangy sent of conifers of all types was tinged with the sweet fragrance of woodland flowers, delighting their senses and drawing them on.

 

Sam pushed limbs and twigs out of the way holding them for the next one to take their turn holding it for the one following. There were odd looking plants that were flowers, mushrooms and other things the children had never seen before. They were of all sizes and shapes just off the path that intrigued Mary and Jenny, but the boys took no notice. By now Elliot and Sam were walking abreast so that they could decide on a strategy for their exploration while Mary and Jenny brought up the rear. The girls were caught up in picking some of the wildflowers that grew along the trail. They had wisely decided not to mess with the mushrooms because they had heard that some of them were poisonous and they didn't know which were which. While the boys lead the way, accentuating their conversation with sword play, provided by sticks that had presented themselves for the fencing pleasure of imaginative adventurers.

The deeper into the lush woods they went the deeper the twilight under the trees became. The four, being so interested in their conversations that the passing of time wasn’t noticed until the sun began to lower enough for them to become aware how late it had actually gotten. As the children began to realize where they were and how late it had become, their voices fell quiet, and they started to pay attention to their surroundings a bit closer. Their foot falls were silent on the tree needles that carpeted the ground from many generations of shedding and new growth and shedding again. The nocturnal animals that were beginning to stir were frighteningly loud and not being able to see them, made even the smallest rodent sound huge. The eerie hooting of the owls made the hair on the children's necks stand on end and to top it off, Mary and Jenny were becoming hungry, tired and a bit frightened. This led them to complain to Sam, who was beginning to heartily regret his suggestion of the day. Elliot was blessedly quiet as he went on ahead, oblivious to the apprehensions of his friends. They had all grown tired and the evening was becoming uncomfortably cool, not to mention that the girls talk about food had their attention riveted on the fact that they had not eaten in hours nor had any of them had the foresight to bring food with them.

 

Sam was just about to admit that they were lost and suggest that they try to retrace their steps when Elliot, who had gotten way ahead, came pounding back down the path, exclaiming excitedly that he had found something amazing. All discomfort and fear was forgotten with the announcement and everyone hurried after Elliot to see what the find was.

 

Not much farther down the trail they had been following, right in the middle of it stood the largest tree any of them had ever seen. It was so tall that they could not see the top of it and the branches spread out for what seemed to be miles, totally blocking out the sky as far as they could see. The large strong branches were gnarled and whorled from many years in the weather and they held the nests of many beautifully colored birds that hopped, flew and fluttered all about. Some of them even swooped down to investigate the children and take their findings back to the others in the upper reaches. The tree's  roots stood high out of the ground where they were close to the massive trunk, some of them were as high as Sam’s waist. The bark was thick and crackled which made convenient pathways for the myriad insects busily going about their own little buggy business ignoring the children who were pointing at and discussing them. If the friends had joined hands in an attempt to encircle the trunk, the four of them would not have been able to girdle even an eighth of it. But none of these things were the exciting part. In the center of the trunk was what looked like a door drawn in light. Mary, Jenny and Sam didn’t see it right away but when Elliot pointed it out, they wondered why it was there and how they had missed it. The light was yellow and very shiny and against the rough dark bark it should have been visible for a long way away. There did not seem to be any windows like the ones you would find in a proper shelter, but the door was just so inviting and it was getting cold enough for the children so see their breath in puffs of white mist as they spoke.

None of them were sure what to do with the door but doors are meant to be opened right? So, Elliot put his hand on the tree trunk door and pushed. The mysterious door swung open silently and the children found themselves looking into a very large brightly lit and empty room. By now the temperature outside was unpleasantly cold and dampness had joined in to make it very uncomfortable, so the promise of light and warmth drew the four friends inside and the door closed behind them without any help or sound. Panicked, they pushed and pulled the place where it had been and, to their relief, it opened again. Satisfied that they were not imprisoned in the tree they all sat down with their backs leaning against the walls to decide what they should do with this new situation.

Mary and Jenny began to feel hungry again and told the others that they sure would be thankful for a cheeseburger and some fries. No sooner had they finished speaking than cheeseburgers and fries appeared in their laps. They were all still gawping at the food when Elliot decided that he could be thankful for a large bowl of ice cream which he received on the spot. As they exchanged looks of disbelief, Sam demanded a turkey sandwich and nothing happened. After some discussion and replay of events, Mary suggested that he be appropriately thankful for the food, and he just might get it. As it turned out, she was right and after Sam rephrased his request, the sandwich appeared in his hand. The ravenous explorers ate in silence until all had finished their food.

 

Then their discussion began.  After much talk and conjecture about the magic door, tree and food the group decided to see what else they may need to ask the tree for. Jenny suggested that because it was dark outside and they would not be able to see their way out of the woods, they should just stay where they were until morning. All of them hoped that their parents would not worry. There was nothing children could do if they did except try to explain when they got back home.

 

That decided, and since all were in agreement, the four of them  started making suggestions about what they would require, with gratitude of course, to make their stay comfortable. Each one tried to ask for something to make the tree feel and look more like home. The first thing each of them wanted was a bed. They quickly discovered that they had to be touching the wall of the tree when they made their request as well as have a very clear picture in their mind of just what they wanted. With one hand on the wall of the tree and their idea firmly in mind each watched in awe as the beds came out of nowhere. It started out sort of misty and, as the child held the picture of their bed firmly in their mind, the mist solidified into a useable bed. By adding gratitude to that process, soon each of them had their own room furnished with a comfortable bed and everything else they needed for an overnight stay. The mental exercise on top of the long walk and filling repast had the friends very tired and, after saying good night to each other and the tree, all were soon deeply asleep.

The next morning Sam, Mary, Jenny and Elliot woke refreshed and a little surprised to find themselves still in the tree. As they discussed the fact that each one of them thought it had all been a dream, they requested and got a wonderful breakfast from their awesome new friend the tree. Mary pointed out that since they had all been away for the entire night their parents would probably be very worried and that they should get home as quickly as they could to avoid more worry than they had already caused. Each of them reached out a hand to the tree and thanked it for taking such good care of them and bid the beautiful room goodbye. To their amazement, everything vanished, just dimmed until it was not to be seen. Their things, beds, the room the door and…the huge, enormous, beautiful tree all gone into nowhere and the four were left standing at the edge of the road into town with the sun setting, staring bug-eyed at each other as their parents drove up  to collect them, just a little concerned because of the hour. It was the same day as when they had started their adventure!

 

Each of them, Sam, Mary, Jenny and Elliot, made a quick vow to each other not to tell about the tree. Who would believe it anyway? The children said good-bye to each other and climbed into their family cars to be taken back home to remember and wonder and hope to see the tree again.

 

© 2013 Chessie Roberts, all rights reserved

Chessie Roberts is a Singer/song Writer, Spiritual Teacher, Mind-set Mentor, Meditation Coach, Author, Wiccan Minister, Lecturer and the Founder/Creator of Evolution of Self: Journey into Body, Mind, Spirit Balance. Her experience with severe, crippling arthritis was her catalyst to share her healing, experiential, self-improvement program with those who wish to rediscover their balance of Body, Mind, Spirit. This creation gave her the writing bug and so the Sam, Mary, Jenny and Elliot Stories were created.

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                    More of "Stories From The Front Porch Book"

                                                             by C. S. Roberts (c) 2025

MARK AND JOSIES 60^TH ANNIVERSARY

as told by Chessie and Dave 

(c) 2025 all rights reserved

 

        We, Dave, the children and I had decided to go to Mississippi to surprise Memaw and Papaw on the occasion of their sixtieth wedding anniversary. We loaded up the old white station wagon with everything we would need for the overnight and part day drive and started off. We traveled by night because the traffic was better and the children would sleep, at least one of them would. Mark would be asleep before we left the driveway. Shelby, on the other hand, would stay up all night and her endless chatter helped the person driving keep their eyes open.

        The trip was uneventful, and we arrived at the house just as Josie was starting to fix lunch. She was busy at the worktable in the kitchen and didn’t hear us drive up. We cautioned the children to be quiet and all four of us slipped in through the back door in the den. Memaw had her back to us, so didn’t see us as I put Shelby down and told Mark to take her hand and go into the kitchen and say hi to their great grandmother. The children toddled in and stood watching her until she became aware that they were standing beside her. She gave a little start, whirled around to face us and cried, “How did you get here? Mad—dlone! Come look who’s here! Come quick! How DID you get here?” The look on her face was well worth the drive. Momma wasn’t even sure we could make it, so she was surprised to see us too. We found out that Papaw was at the store, so we’d get to do the surprise bit again when he got home. Dave decided to hide the car, it would have been a sure giveaway, so he drove it down the hill a bit just to get it out of sight. The ruse worked perfectly, and Papaw walked into a house full of grandchildren and great grandchildren that he was thrilled to see.

        The celebration was the next day so, after unloading the car and settling into our respective spaces, we pitched in to help set up. There were napkins to spiral, crystal and silver to polish, china to wash, best tablecloths to locate and iron, vegetables to arrange artistically and the list went on and on. I wondered if we would be finished in time but, by bedtime, all was ready for the influx of guests. The only thing left to do was get some rest and dress up for the party in the morning.

        The day dawned beautiful in all ways, temperature, sunshine, flowers, we could not have planned it better. Even though I had helped prepare the decorations I was amazed by how lovely everything looked for this very special party. People started arriving at one in the afternoon and there was so much visiting and eating, picture taking and comparing of children that it seemed to go on for hours. It was so nice to see all the aunts, uncles and cousins again and of course, no one knew we would be there, so our surprise was added to the excitement. Soon everyone had left except the family and Papaw’s three brothers and their wives.

        William, Papaw’s next to the oldest brother was tall and lanky with the distinct McMullan nose and thinning grey hair. He didn’t talk much but when he did it was always worth listening to.  He was a farmer who raised livestock and just enough of a garden to feed the family and a few neighbors.  Jack, the oldest, was much shorter than the rest but you could see the family resemblance strongly, He laughed a lot and had grand stories to tell too. Miley, the youngest, was not as short as Jack but he was defiantly bigger around. His family resemblance was there but not as pronounced as the other boys.   He worked for the Mississippi state highway department and sometimes helped William and Mark with projects they had going on.  They all loved to get together and tell stories. More than that they loved to play a good joke on each other. This day was no exception and while us gals were visiting in the kitchen; all the guys were visiting in the living room. I wasn’t in there to hear this part, so I’ll let Dave tell you about the conversation that happened.

        “Well. Like Chessie said, all the men were talking in the living room. Everybody tried to talk at once for a while then no one had anything to say. You know how that happens some time when a bunch of people get together to visit. Well, in that break…

        “William said to no one in particular, “I think someone has been messing around out on the property. I was walking through the meadow, checking around the back gate where we bring the cows from one field to the other, when I noticed that the weeds looked driven over. I don’t go out there much anymore and never drive through, so it sort of stood out as being used. I started looking closer to see if there had been trash or anything thrown around and there in the middle of the old road, someone had been scratching in the dirt. I got nearer and in the middle of the little disturbed place, someone had planted this funny looking little plant. I don’t think whoever did it was much of a farmer.”

        Jack asked, “What makes you say that?”

        “Well,” William replied, “They didn’t work the dirt enough to do any good and it looked like they dumped about a cup of water beside it instead of around it like they should have. I don’t think it’ll make up very well. Probably won’t even live. But it sure looked strange.”

        Miley wanted to know if maybe “it’s somethin’ that shouldn’t be there do you suppose?”

        William said. “I’m guessing that’s what it’s got to be.” No one wanted to say the plant type. It was like they were afraid if someone said it, the police would fall out of the walls and arrest us all.

        Papaw chimed in with, “Did you call the cops? You need to get that stuff out of there!”

        “Naw, I don’t think I’m gonna’ call the police just yet. I want to fertilize and water it and see just what it’ll do.”

        Every voice in the room called out together, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, get rid of it!”

        Jack sat forward in his chair and, with great concern in his voice asked, “William, why in the world would you want to do that? You’re eighty-six and don’t need to be messin’ with stuff like that.

        William just smiled back and told him, “Well if it does everything that the kids says that it does for them, I want to see what it can do for me.” Then he broke out in such loud laughter that everyone knew that he had been teasing about the whole thing.

 He had found a marijuana plant in the field but had no intention of keeping it.  He had called the police to report the “crime”. They did an investigation into the felonious planting, but we never did find out who had done it. But, like William said, “He wasn’t much of a farmer.”

 

 

VOICE

                                                                  C. S. Roberts (C) 2016  

I am the voice of Nature,

   Mountain, plain and lake.

I am the voice of Nature, 

  I sing the world awake. 

I am the voice of People,

   Together we all ache.

I am the voice of People, 

  I sing the world awake. 

I am the voice of Creatures All,

   Condor, Eagle, Snake.

I am the voice of Creatures All, 

  I sing the world awake. 

I am the voice of Spirit,

   With you each step you take.

I am the voice of Spirit, 

  I sing the world awake. 

I am the voice of Universe,

  That galaxies do make.

I am the voice of Universe, 

  I sing the world awake. 

I am the voice of Love and Light,

   The Darkness I do Break.

I am the voice of Love and Light, 

  I sing the world awake.