If life was an Etch-a-Sketch
Hard memories could be quickly erased
Backgrounds replaced with -
mountain vistas , gulf waters-
blue lakes , whirling snowflakes-
Cherry trees and sweet dreams ...

I was taught to understand the wail of Jones and Owens -
The cry of the fiddle , Hank telling it right ,
the Opry on Saturday night
The necessity of a front porch
Steel toed boots , sun tea and sassafras root                                             A late night swing for two 'neath a bustling oak
Coonhound companions and old school-
blokes
We learned to catch our own minnows 'n
fry our own slabs
Sunday dinners turned into afternoon naps
Grief and gain walked hand in hand
Someday my body's corruption will be turned to sand
Left to blow across this hallowed land ...

I peered upward into a thousand colored shapes-
Bathed in a cool living pond
The Bells of Heaven mingled with the-
tones of this raging fountain
Jesus Christ surely stood above this waterfall
So be it ...

Tye recalls the reflections of Autumn
Heavens mottled blues , windswept cattle-
ponds , dancing grass sprinkled with wildflowers-
of every size and color , morning glory sun shower
The inspiration of late November , bare hardwoods crowned
in mistletoe , fiery sunsets , gravel byways , meandering brooks ,
braying country hounds , storm racked aerials ...

Quick sips from Port Lake
The blackberry feast of Summer
Aromatic pine , cool downy carpets of-
springtide hay
Dragonflies whirl then glide to earth
The afternoon drummers of Spring
The Dance of the Hedgerows
Curtains of life sweep the genteel trees , filling every plain
A culled pasture receiving her churning sustenance
Ra's rain song so delivered ...

She is a child holding artwork with stick-
figurines , crimson roses and smiling sunshine
Tye lies still like a portrait to be before bounding away from-
tree to tree , bathed in creations gleam , loving
musical phrases , industrious and free ...

You can turn the sound of a busy highway into -
the oceans final destination
A saw into a rare tropical bird calling from the thick -
Indonesian canopy
Air brakes releasing become a noble Brahma-
warrior guarding his minions
Revved engines are motorboats sailing the African -
river wilderness
An afternoon cup of coffee with Walt Whitman
A lively front porch chat with Martin Luther King
Tucked into bed by  " The Angels " ...

About a half handful o' chaw to start the workday-
will give your mind a little tingle
Make the morning brighter and keep your-
vocal cords on idle ...

Someday you'll truly awaken
Not tethered to air , land or sky  
Your physical delights on Earth
enjoined into ocean , woodland stream-
and mountain ..
Drawn to the music of creation
Forevermore ..