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AND ON THE EIGHTH DAY,
GOD LOOKED DOWN ON HIS PLANNED PARADISE
AND SAID, "I NEED A CARETAKER."
SO GOD MADE A FARMER.
GOD SAID, "I NEED SOMEBODY WILLING TO GET UP BEFORE DAWN,
"MILK COWS, WORK ALL DAY IN THE FIELDS,
"MILK COWS AGAIN, EAT SUPPER,
"THEN GO TO TOWN AND STAY PAST MIDNIGHT
AT A MEETING OF THE SCHOOL BOARD."
SO GOD MADE A FARMER.
GOD SAID, "I NEED SOMEBODY WILLING
"TO SIT UP ALL NIGHT WITH A NEWBORN COLT
"AND WATCH IT DIE,
"AND DRY HIS EYES AND SAY, 'MAYBE NEXT YEAR.'
"I NEED SOMEBODY WHO CAN SHAPE AN AX HANDLE
"FROM A PERSIMMON SPROUT,
"SHOE A HORSE WITH A HUNK OF CAR TIRE,
"WHO CAN MAKE HARNESS OUT OF HAYWIRE,
"FEED SACKS, AND SHOE SCRAPS.
"WHO PLANTING TIME AND HARVEST SEASON
"WILL FINISH HIS 40-HOUR WEEK BY TUESDAY NOON
"AND THEN, PAIN IN FROM TRACTOR BACK,
PUT IN ANOTHER 72 HOURS."
SO GOD MADE A FARMER.
GOD SAID, "I NEED SOMEBODY STRONG ENOUGH
"TO CLEAR TREES AND HEAVE BALES,
"YET GENTLE ENOUGH TO YEAN LAMBS AND WEAN PIGS
"AND TEND THE PINK-COMBED PULLETS,
"WHO WILL STOP HIS MOWER FOR AN HOUR
TO SPLINT THE BROKEN LEG OF A MEADOWLARK."
SO GOD MADE A FARMER.
IT HAD TO BE SOMEBODY WHO'D PLOW DEEP AND STRAIGHT
AND NOT CUT CORNERS.
SOMEBODY TO SEED, WEED, FEED, BREED,
AND RAKE, AND DISK, AND PLOW, AND PLANT,
AND TIE THE FLEECE AND STRAIN THE MILK.
SOMEBODY WHO'D BALE A FAMILY TOGETHER
WITH THE SOFT, STRONG BONDS OF SHARING.
WHO WOULD LAUGH, AND THEN SIGH,
AND THEN REPLY WITH SMILING EYES,
WHEN HIS SON SAYS
THAT HE WANTS TO SPEND HIS LIFE DOING WHAT DAD DOES.
SO GOD MADE A FARMER.