S---The tale of ol' Sadie

Tale of ol' Sadie....

~The fog was thick as puddin'
the trees shiverin' in the breeze...
The sun was just a'risen,
as Jeb fumbled with his keys...

~Tuckin' in that flannel shirt,
the one that boasted plaid,
jammin' it into his filthy jeans,
the only pair he had....

~Pullin' on his muddy boots,
caked with clods of clay,
Grabbin' his over-and-under,
he set out for the day...

~His pickup, bent and ugly,
windshield cracked in threads...
Bumper hangin' loose-like,
One tire was almost shreds...

~But, coughin' itself to startin'
Jeb gunned it down the road....
Past Kramer's place at creekside...
At the deputy's house, he slowed...

~Just past the county line,
he switched off thru the trees,...
Hickory limbs flying thru the air,
T'wixt two white oaks he did squeeze...

~Relentlessly thru the fog,
he rumbled on down the hill...
Stoppin' just in the nick of time
before he hit the still....

~There she sat...a bulgin' broad,
Cold and grey.....a little frightnin'....
Hidin' Kentucky hillfolks' gold,
moonshine,.....pure white lightnin'...

~Summers fires stewed tater peels,
corn, fine sugar in the mix....
Buried mason jars in blankets
waitin' under leaves and sticks....

~Time to tap that 'little lady',
fill the pints up to the top...
Screw on a cannin' lid then a ring,
careful not to lose a drop....

~Tediously he tickled Sadie....
Smellin' them 'panther's breath' fumes,
Smilin' in a toothless grin,
'bout what his county consumes..

~Wrappin' them in 'piece-rags',
he filled the old orange crates....
Safe in the seat beside him,
he hustled, 'twas gettin' late....

~Coverin' them with a blanket,
he drove slowly up the hill...
Sayin' good bye to ol' Sadie,
his ever-lovin' still.....

~The county road was up ahead,
and so was Sheriff Sites....
His black and white a flashin'
with red and blue roof lights...

~Sites was one plump cop,
roundin' out at 300 or so...
Meaner than a copperhead,
Dressed in khaki from head to toe...

~No way was Jeb a givin' in,
his treasure by his side....
Buckle up, Samuel Sites,
coz we're goin' fer a ride.....

~Roun' snaky blacktop curves,
Jeb opened up that chevy...
Bein' a ways ahead of Sites,
Cruisin' easy on the levy...

~Glancin' in his rear-view,
Sites was still laggin' in the race...
Beads of sweat came poppin',
'cross Jeb's determined face....

~A mile or so to Granny's,
just past Tucker's mill...
He knew Granny'd help him,
or ol' Pappy surely will...

~Bugs flyin' thru the winda's
Branches pokin' on his arm....
As he raced along the gravel,
past Archie's turkey farm....

~Slidin' into the front yard,
grabbin' the crate of brew...
Dashin' to the root cellar
it was just a step or two...

~Hidin' those jars of liquid fire,
right next to Granny's beans....
A few behind the picklin' beets,
Outta' sight, not to be seen~!

~"Gimme your grandson, Carlie~!"
"This is an Estill County bust..."
His face as red as a lobster,
his Raybans chalked with dust...

~"Go on, git off my land boys."
"Ain't no bootleggers livin' here~!
"3 minutes to clear out,
now lets see ya'll disappear"

~Carlie was a slight little thing...
Barefoot and 5 foot 2...
Wearin' overalls, an old straw hat,
and a denim shirt in blue....

~Sites, Deputy Horn and the posse,
were foiled again, today...
Cause, Granny fired off that shotgun,
holdin' them at bay...

~Twilight found Jeb and Pappy,
countin' pints by lantern light...
133 of them 'puppies' were tallied,
All of 'em seemed all right...

~Plenty for swappin' vittles,
or a dressed hog after slaughter...
A bolt of cotton for Granny, and
a quilt from Elmer's daughter...

~Knowin' that Sadie'd be pig iron,
when they winch her outta' the hollow...
She'll be deader than a door-nail...
'Tuff for them to swallow....

~Mornin', they'd scour the woods...
A home for a new 'gal' called Belle....
Back in the trees a' thrivin',
cookin' 'skull cracker' for them to sell...

~Night time fell upon the bluegrass,
Crickets chirped songs so devine....
Tellin' tales 'bout Jeb and Ol Sadie,
and sweet, Kentucky moonshine...

Copyright Margaret LaVonne Hall
8-22-2003 All rights reserved