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<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script type="text/javascript" src="http://hb.lycos.com/hb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ratings.lycos.com/ratings/lycosRating.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[//><!]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-start.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-middle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-end.js"></script> <noscript> <img src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/img/common/ot_noscript.gif?rand=320661" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="728" height="90" src="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=728x90&section=209094"></iframe>  </noscript> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=185 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="03fb9c00dduajq.jpg"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="70" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 76 WIDTH="66"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="76" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="66" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></b></div> <div> <B> Selections on this  page are:</b></div> <div> <B>Catherine Meets Con</b></div> <div> <B>Sunday Morning </b></div> <div> <B>Part y Line</b></div> <div> <B>Chicken and Beef</b></div> <div> <B>Working in the Coal MInes</b></div> <div> <B>Willing & Able </b></div> <div> <B>Storm Warning</b></div> <div> <B>Katherine's Story </b></div> <div> <B>You Ask  </b></div> <div> <B>Through My Eyes </b></div> <div> <B>Stepping Stones  </b></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFBF0" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>K.de Jong</b></FONT>    |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="K.de Jong"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Me"><U>About Me</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Poetry"><U>Poetry</U></A>   |   <B>Page 2</b>   |   <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Page 3"><U>Page 3</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Page 4"><U>Page 4</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Page 5"><U>Page 5</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="page 6"><U>page 6</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Page 7 "><U>Page 7 </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="page 8"><U>page 8</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Page 9 "><U>Page 9 </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Page 10"><U>Page 10</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Page11"><U>Page11</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Album"><U>Photo Album</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Page 2"><U>  Page 2</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Page 3"><U>Page 3</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Page 4"><U>Page 4</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thoughts "><U>Thoughts </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Scenes from the Rocky Mountains / Jasper"><U>Scenes from the Rocky Mountains / Jasper</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HooDoos "><U>HooDoos </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" More HooDoos"><U> More HooDoos</U></A></div> <div> Page 2</div> <div>                                                                          </div> <div> Catherine Meets Con</div> <bR> <div> I was on my way up from the bottom</div> <div> of the coulee    hands and dress stained purple</div> <div> from picking berries all afternoon and my hair </div> <div> falling free from its comb and there he was</div> <div> by the path, sitting on a rock</div> <div> like he had been there all day  </div> <div> and he never moved or said a word</div> <div> until I came closer.  then as I went past </div> <div> he said how lovely  I looked</div> <div> what nerve he had    I never so much </div> <div> as gave him the time of day </div> <div> but I do have to admit</div> <div> to glancing back    when I was well past </div> <div> and he was still sitting there, </div> <div>       looking west </div> <div>             into </div> <div>             the </div> <div>             sun </div> <bR> <bR> <div> Sunday Morning </div> <bR> <div> The man just can't sing </div> <div> unless you consider </div> <div> at the top of your lungs </div> <div>  off key and out of tune </div> <div> as something of a talent </div> <div> but give him credit</div> <div> for the sake of appearance</div> <div> he did show up in Church. </div> <div> sat right behind me </div> <div> and the whole time </div> <div> I could hear him</div> <div> back there </div> <div> shuffling and moving </div> <div> around so much </div> <div> I was tempted</div> <div> to turn around</div> <div> tell him to hush </div> <div>                </div> <div>  After church I was surprised </div> <div>  when he approached my Father</div> <div> saw them glance </div> <div> in my direction  </div> <div> and all I heard  was Father say  </div> <div>  " I will speak to her about the matter " </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>            Party Line</div> <bR> <div> Your phone is ringing</div> <div> but you are not answering </div> <bR> <div> and those six seconds </div> <div> between silences</div> <bR> <div> seem like a lifetime</div> <div> on the party line</div> <bR> <div> over the miles I hear a child cry</div> <div> hungry for its mothers breast</div> <bR> <div> and another click </div> <div> as gossip hounds wait </div> <bR> <div> to snatch and run </div> <div>  with any juicy tidbits</div> <bR> <div> or is that you</div> <div> emerging </div> <bR> <div> from behind </div> <div> your veil of silence?</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Chicken and Beef</div> <bR> <div> Ol'  man Creely lived at the top</div> <div> and ran his cattle down on the valley floor</div> <div> didn't give two hoots about fences    just cut them </div> <div> and acted as if the Good Lord himself </div> <div> had told him he could </div> <bR> <div> Folksaround  said he never used to be like that</div> <div> until he came back from the war  </div> <div> musta got winged in the head or something </div> <div> while he was over there</div> <bR> <div> In early august       when the grass was belly-high</div> <div> he started killing off his cattle   salting them down </div> <div> in barrels sealing them up  with grease   kept </div> <div> at it  till he was down to a herd of two      then</div> <div> did in all his chickens  </div> <div> went as far as butcheing the only pig he kept around the place</div> <bR> <div> come early september the skies closed in </div> <div> and the wind cut to the bone   </div> <div>  and it snowed    </div> <div> caught the crops still standing   and it didn't quit</div> <div> some folks made it out after Christmas   </div> <div>   some folk just didn't </div> <bR> <div> Ol'  man Creely lived at the top</div> <div> of the valley     eating chicken and beef</div> <div> until the snow melted    walked </div> <div> into town around April   </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Working in the Coal Mines</div> <div>  </div> <div> A couple of  my boys</div> <div>  left the farm     and</div> <div> went down around Estevan  way</div> <div> working in the coal mines </div> <div> trying to get a little money together</div> <div> to send back home    keep the bank</div> <div> from calling in the loan</div> <bR> <div> we heard there was talk</div> <div> of the union trying to get in </div> <div> but it didn't seem to serious</div> <div> until the night the neighbor came over  </div> <div> yellin an' bangin'  on the door</div> <bR> <div> seems all hell had come loose </div> <div> in the alleys of Estevan</div> <div> that afternoon </div> <div> with riots,gunfire and people </div> <div> getting killed</div> <bR> <div> I told their brother </div> <div> to git on down there  </div> <div> bring those boys home</div> <div> we'd just get the money</div> <div> some other way  </div> <div>  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Willing and Able</div> <bR> <div> That valley bottom was some of the best</div> <div> damn land around these parts</div> <div> but she had to be broken</div> <div> so I took the my team</div> <div> of horses down there </div> <div> and hitched them up</div> <bR> <div> and I tell you </div> <div> Old Willing </div> <div> and that lil mare Able</div> <div> between them they hauled</div> <div> more damn logs outa there </div> <div> then you would know what to do with </div> <bR> <div> first year we put a crop in   damn </div> <div> aint never seen a crop like that </div> <div> and aint seen one like it since  </div> <div> betcha woulda run over </div> <div> 100 bushels to the acre</div> <bR> <div> damn shame</div> <div> we never got 'er off</div> <div> early frost  beat us  </div> <div> turned 'er blacker</div> <div> than Annie Belles knickers</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0a729a60.jpg" border=0 width="553" height="422" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Storm Warning</div> <bR> <div> Think, if I  recollect rightly, it was June </div> <div> on account one of the boys </div> <div> had taken some head of cattle </div> <div> down to the valley,    remember him saying  </div> <div> it was so damn hot down there on the valley floor </div> <div> even the rocks were scratchin'  for shade</div> <div> and the river  real low for that time of year </div> <div> he knew ol' Creeley was watching him too</div> <div> seen him riding along the valley ridge   met up </div> <div> 'bout noon     down along the river   an'   Ol' Creeley </div> <div> hes got that hat pulled so low you cant hardly </div> <div> see his eyes and riding bareback like always </div> <div> tells him to get dem cattle the hell outta der</div> <div> get furthder east           away </div> <div> from the river      says ders a big storm comin'    Sometimes</div> <div> you just do what you are told </div> <div> and sure as hell she hit around four.</div> <div> we seen it from the yard up here at the farm </div> <div> two storms       one from the west  </div> <div> and the other movin'  in from the south .</div> <div> watched them come together  boiling and rolling </div> <div> and mixing     turning the sky kinda green  </div> <div>   seen that before and knew right off </div> <div> she was a bad one.       put everything </div> <div> that had four legs in the barn    hollered for the kids</div> <div> and the missus               told them to git </div> <div> down into the root cellar </div> <bR> <div>  Never did  see that cloud come down.  </div> <div> Heard later  that she leveled </div> <div> parts of regina and </div> <div> made a hell of a mess in there  </div> <bR> <div> didn't lost one head </div> <div> of them cattle in the valley either </div> <div> even with the river flooding   </div> <div> and running wild for a few days  </div> <bR> <div> Still don't know how Ol' Creeley knew,</div> <div> just knows them things I figure</div> <div> worth paying mind to though. thats twice now.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0a929a60.jpg" border=0 width="553" height="422" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Katherine 's Story </div> <bR> <div> Cant say I was afraid</div> <div> of  Ol' Creeley   but</div> <div>  he had a habit </div> <div> of just appearing </div> <div> as if the Earth had just birthed him</div> <div> and disappear   </div> <div>  he could do that faster</div> <div> then a fox goin'  round a corner</div> <div> he showed up one day  </div> <div> it was in the spring     a monday</div> <div> I remember I was washing and had sheets</div> <div> hanging on the line</div> <div> and out he stepped</div> <div> right out from between them</div> <div> started ramblin' on about</div> <div> how it was going to be a long fall</div> <div> a good time to move and</div> <div> how the child would not like the ride</div> <div> and I couldn't dor the life on me </div> <div> figure out</div> <div> what in the world</div> <div> ge was goin' on about</div> <div> but his words came back to me later</div> <div> in the autume     as we rode</div> <div> in the wagon    piled high</div> <div> with our possessions</div> <div> over to our new place</div> <div> and I felt </div> <div> the baby kick </div> <div>   </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0d0f06b0.jpg" border=0 width="496" height="619" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> You ask</div> <bR> <div> You ask what its like to give birth </div> <div> on a mattress filled with sage grass</div> <div> when the only help you've got </div> <div> is from a neighbours wife</div> <div> whos had two herself    </div> <bR> <div> and you're trying hard</div> <div> not to let your screams </div> <div> rip apart the walls  </div> <div> as you push life out</div> <div> from between your thighs</div> <bR> <div> You ask what its like </div> <div> to give birth </div> <div> on a mattress filled with sage grass</div> <div> I can tell you </div> <div> it's beautiful</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Through My Eyes  </div> <bR> <div> He was old when I first saw him   grew up with stories</div> <div> they told about him  and as I grew older</div> <div> it seemed he didnt change much    his moccasins</div> <div> showed more age than his face ever did</div> <bR> <div> you would see him around town</div> <div> bumming tobacco pokes and cigarettes </div> <div> then asking for a match      and he sit </div> <div>    cross legged  enjoy his smoke</div> <bR> <div> remember one night it was stormin'       he stopped</div> <div> at the farm      wanted to borrow a horse</div> <div> so he could make it home      said he would </div> <div> bring it back in the morning </div> <bR> <div> must've forgot       it was a couple of days later</div> <div> before he came back    brought some fresh </div> <div> killed meat all wrapped up     recall </div> <div> somebody saying thought it might be venison </div> <bR> <div> didn't see him around much after that </div> <div> didn't have much time to go looking </div> <div> reason being I was too busy </div> <div> being seven</div> <bR> <div> until I heard</div> <div> the singing of the drums </div> <div> on the summer wind one night </div> <div> Nobody had to tell me</div> <bR> <div> I   knew</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Stepping Stones </div> <bR> <div> Ashes to ashes</div> <div> and dust to dust</div> <div> and how many times</div> <div> have I laid to rest </div> <div> your sons in this plotted ground </div> <div> and never heard </div> <div> the singing of your bones</div> <bR> <div> as fields of gold</div> <div> surround this yard </div> <div> fallen markers lay  </div> <div> like stepping stones </div> <div> but today </div> <div> colored leaves dance </div> <div> in shining sun </div> <div> as I read </div> <div> eroded history </div> <bR> <div> I  the son of  the son   </div> <div> breath your name  </div> <div> hear it pass </div> <div> across my lips</div> <bR> <div> and my fingers </div> <div> warm and alive</div> <div> reach to greet you </div> <div>  </div> <div> through the waving </div> <div> sea of grass</div> <div> beneath </div> <div> the blue canopy</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> 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