I wrote this poem for my brother-in-law, Jerrell Black. At the time they lived in the woods of Conifer, Colorado. Their driveway off the county road was an unpaved pathway that wound down a hill through the trees. In the winter, part of the deal living there was having to plow the snow off the driveway before it turned to ice and made it impassable. For the last line of the poem, you need to pronounce the name of their dog, Gracie, with an English accent so it rhymes with icy.
For Jerrell, On Early Mornings
Plow the driveway
Up the hill
’Round the trees
Keep plowing still.
Plow the neighbor’s
Down the hill
’Round the bend
Keep plowing still.
Plow the roadway,
Now I ask ya—
Will you stop
Before Nebraska?
Snow is falling
As you plow.
It’s deep enough
To choke a cow.
Please be careful
’Cause it’s icy.
Please do not
Slide into Gracie.
John M. Campbell
Christmas 1996
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