Winter Storm 2009

The forest is locked in winter’s embrace
Ice laden limbs bow in submission
Fallen comrades lay lifelessly on the ground
The woodlands weep.

Mike Beville

Kentucky Skies

I was born under the blue skies of Kentucky, near the Nolin River flow,
Where the Thoroughbreds are racing, and the white face cattle grow.
I was raised on grits and taters, buttermilk and turnip greens,
Biscuits and red eye gravy, smoked pork and butter beans.
It was under Kentucky skies, that I was taught to be a man,
To do my best everyday, and lend folks a helping hand.
My Mamie taught me how to read, my brothers—how to fight.
A country girl on holding hands, and walks in the pale moonlight.
My Pappy taught me how to shoot, and how to rope and ride,
We sure had a lot of fun back then, under those blue Kentucky skies.
I like Kentucky mornins, honeysuckle spiking the breeze,
While the mockingbirds are singing, and dance in the sycamore trees.
I like Kentucky whiskey! I like my chicken fried!
I like to tend my cattle on the bluegrass country side!
Kentucky waters are the clearest, her grasses the greenest green,
And those bluegrass Kentucky women, are among the prettiest I’ve ever seen.
Kentucky horses are the finest, and you rarely see one buck.
By the way, did I ever tell you folks that I was born here in Kentuck.
It was under Kentucky skies that I met a pretty miss.
I courted her oh so tenderly, held her hand and stole a kiss.
I love that Kentucky woman, hazel eyes and auburn hair.
We still hold hands in the moonlight and breathe that sweet Kentucky air.
How could I have been so lucky? Guess it must have been my fate,
To be placed in old Kentucky, just next door to heaven’s gate.
May I die here with my boots on, while my mind is clear and sound,
Breathing the sweet air of Kentucky and walking on Kentucky ground.
Lay my body in a valley, beneath her peaceful sod,
That my soul may sore onto her lofty peaks , and touch the face of God....

“ The Witness”

I once stood tall, proud and majestic
In a small lowland meadow
At the edge of a great Oak/Hickory forest.
I was raised from the rich Kentucky soil,
By my Creator in the year of our Lord, 1751.
For over 200 years I have served Him
By serving the needs of others.
I have witnessed many things!
I am Caray Ovata,----- I am a Shagbark Hickory!

At the age of 40 years
I would bear my first fruit.
A nut with a sweet kernel, and excellent flavor.
Women came and gathered them
For the making of pies, cakes and candy.
Mammals came and stored them for winter forage.
Birds and animals built their nest,
And raised their young in my branches.
I have witnessed many things!
I am Caray Ovata,-----I am a Shagbark Hickory!

I have seen the eradication of the Redman,
The Passenger Pigeon, and the American Chestnut
From the land of my ancestors.
I have felt the blood spray of the American Revolution;
I have smelled the canon smoke of the War of 1812;
I have heard the cries of anguish from the Trail of Tears;
And my roots turned blood red in the great Civil War.
I have witnessed many things!
I am Caray Ovata,----- I am a Shagbark Hickory!

I stood in awe at the Western
Expansion, and the Industrial Revolution.
I rejoiced at man’s First Flight at Kitty-Hawk
And his Ascent to The Moon.
I have mourned the slaying of
Four American Presidents, Two World Wars,
And the Atomic Bomb.
I have witnessed many things!
I am Caray Ovata,----- I am a Shagbark Hickory!

I once stood tall and proud in a small lowland meadow
At the edge of a great Oak/Hickory Forest.
I grew to the majestic height of ninety feet, my girth and spread-----impressive.
Women were drawn to my beauty; Men envied my strength;
Children would swing from my branches;
And old men would gather in my shade
To talk of war and politics.
I have witnessed many things !
I am Caray Ovata,-----I am a Shagbark Hickory!

But when on a warm fall night,
In the year of Our Lord, 1975
I was struck down by a single lightning strike.
For over 200 years I served God
By providing for the needs of others!
Even in death I served.
Men came and gathered my trunk and branches
To heat their homes and cure their meat.
I had witnessed many things!
I now dwell in the memory of my Creator,
And in the hearts of the faithful.
Therefore, I am Immortal! My name is Carya Ovata,----- I am a Shagbark Hickory !