Hello farm bell
A little past your prime
A bit of rust around the edges
Once a beloved , necessary
tool of the ploughland
Now buried in the ravages of -
neglect and time
You still stand tall however , rain or shine ,
collecting snow in January , sweltering
in July
Your tolling brought a family together
Alerted a determined farmer of -
approaching stormy weather
Provided a backdrop for -
many a family photo
You hold a special place in my heart
I just wanted you to know* ...

Picking a row o' peppers taught me not to rub your eyes
Picking my own switch taught me not to lie
Planting corn by hand taught diligence and volition
Papa's razor strap instilled the wages of a poor-
decision* ...

This town wreaks of loneliness
Chipped paint and boarded brick shells
A water tower in need of repair , the bewitching
chime of the ten o'clock courthouse bells
The tapping of tin on former antebellum mansions
The lonely wail of city hounds
The sound of jet planes high above
a forgotten , country town* ...

Welcome to the beginning of electric blanket weather
When crows nervously stand watch as the -
chickadees frantically sing , old fellas -
rock an ponder what the Tennessee air might -
bring
As the vanes aim for Florida heavy air begins to fill the night , cold enough to question a mans honor , oaks relinquish the last of their cover
Wind fueled vortices , frigid aggression
Chimney smoke shapes the horizon in -
every direction* ...

I'd love to visit Charleston someday
She's forever on my mind
I'd tour her like a Hershey bar on the front -
porch
One little square at a time ...

Mica begins to shimmer along the red clay byway
Songbirds beseech portals of morning sunlight that criss -cross the scrub valley
The sawyers tally spray painted in orange , fumes of diesel carried by the angry winds of March , yellow mechanical monsters that continually feed , how many trees will fulfill the pulp wooder's needs* ..

The Pastor preaching against indulgence
doth squeal and whine
For his lips have yet to meet a -
Key Lime pie ...