Jurado 1

Jessica Jurado
Ms. Yolanda Franklin
ENC 1101
6 August 2015

Growing Up (Part 1)

The wind whispered secrets

So quietly they were just out of my reach
No matter where the sun shone
The trees would cast deep shadows
Speckling the woods with a natural light show
The tall trees gave way to the open field
Surrounded on all sides by the forest
Like my secret garden
Hidden away from the world
The creek babbled softly
And the birds always sang to me
The Georgia boondocks were filled with magic

The wind proved inconvenient

When it whipped long hair into my vision
The trees gave great shelter from the scorching sun

Jurado 2
For weeks without rain left the land thirsty
The fields, carved into the forest by man,
Served only to grow crops to sell to strangers
The creek grows shallower by the day
Its source struggling in the drought
The woods were never quiet
But I knew where the property line ended
And I knew what days the tractors would come
Leaving nothing but red dirt in their wake

Growing Up (Part 2)

He was always old

Silver haired and wrinkly
The calluses on his fingers prove his years of labor
But those tough hands were always gentle with me
He told me stories about the creatures
That lived in the surrounding forest
And complied when I asked him
To check under my bed for monsters
He was so cool in my eyes
My city girl lifestyle was no match
For the rugged Georgia boondocks

Jurado 3
But I wasnt afraid of bugs or dirt
And I knew that all his wrinkles were really laughter lines

You cant teach an old dog new tricks

Is how the saying goes
My grandfather wasnt just an old dog
He was an old, stubborn, bitter hound
Always barking loudly at nothing
I wonder how I didnt see his hate
Maybe he disguised it well
And one-too-many drinks
Has caused it to slip
How can a person harbor such malice
Maybe he was always this way
I just only saw his smiles
And never heard his words