My New Home In Kentucky
© Surazeus
2018 09 16
Hunched on gray rock in tufts of yellow grass,
as thick rain drenches hard mist-shrouded hills,
Scott watches narrow river gushing bright
as it pours in gray waters of the loch.
"I want to escape this miserable land
where priests beat me with sticks for having fun.
I want to sail west to land of America
where everyone is rich and lives in mansions."
Clutching rifle and sword to his thin chest,
Scott guards herd of sheep huddled in the rain,
but dreams about living rich in America
while staring at shadows on distant plain.
Five men leap up from behind tangled bushes,
and run howling at him slouched on the rock,
so he raises rifle with beating heart
and pulls the trigger, but none of them fall.
Dropping the rifle, Scott leaps to his feet,
and swings the sword as they surround his spot,
so he turns back and forth to fend them off
as they all charge at once and whack his head.
Waking up in rain with head pounding hard,
Scott stares at faces of the estate duke
and the police who investigate crime,
and groans when they lock his wrists with handcuffs.
"You colluded with thieves to steal my sheep,
but hit you on the head to hide your tracks.
How much did they promise to pay you, lad?
Or did they already give you some money?"
Scott groans from pain of cuffs cutting his wrists.
"They jumped out of the bushes and surprised me.
I shot at them but I missed in the rain.
They hit me with clubs and left me for dead."
The police take him to the prison house
where he stands trial for helping thieves steal sheep,
and the jury finds him guilty as charged
so the judge sentences him to be hanged.
Guards wake the prisoners after midnight
and herd them all out to wagons with bars,
then two men pay the police bags of money
as they are taken down to the ship yard.
The prisoners are herded onto the ship
that sails before dawn west across the sea
where they are tossed about for several months
till they arrive in the harbor of Boston.
Standing with prisoners on wooden docks,
Scott breathes fresh air blowing from ancient woods.
"I wanted to sail west to rich America,
so here I am by Hand of God or Fate."
Soldiers in uniforms buy the whole lot,
then take them through the busy city streets
to barracks where they shower and eat well,
then are given blue uniforms and guns.
Loaded on wagons, they travel down south
and stand in rows on shore of some broad river.
The general with full beard on prancing horse
stops before them and speaks with booming voice.
"The people of the south keep men as slaves,
so we are fighting them to free those slaves.
If you survive, we will give you their land
where you can farm and raise big families."
Hunched on gray rock in tufts of yellow grass,
as thick rain drenches hard mist-shrouded hills,
Scott watches narrow river gushing bright
as it pours in gray waters of the lake.
"I want to escape this miserable land
where sargeants beat me for not working hard.
I want to sail east to land of my birth
where my mother weeps for me to come home."
Bugles blow so they all stand in straight lines,
then lower guns and charge at distant men,
running through mist as cannons boom bright fire,
and men all around him are splattered dead.
Running forever through thick hail of bullets,
Scott keeps expecting one to blast his brains,
but he emerges from swirls of gray smoke
to stand alone in field of bleeding corpses.
Looking around at heaps of slaughtered men,
Scott gasps fast for air at horror of life,
and runs around the battlefield in fear
till he falls to his knees in shocked surprise.
Stripping the blue uniform off his body,
Scott dresses in leather jacket and pants
he finds on the corpse of the mountain man,
then crosses the river gushing in rain.
Climbing high mountain shrouded in gray mist,
Scott finds small cabin hidden in the woods
beside the pond that shimmers after rain,
so he knocks on the door, heart wild with fear.
The young woman who opens the wood door
stares at him with eyes blue as the noon sky,
then gestures he enter so he sits down
on the floor by the warm fire in the hearth.
The woman gives him bowl of rabbit stew,
so he sips sweet delicious brew with joy,
then falls asleep by the bright crackling fire
and dreams of rain falling on misty hills.
Waking at dawn and stretching arms and legs,
Scott sees the woman holding his own gun
who aims it at his face with frightened look,
so he smiles and thanks her for the good food.
Picking up the axe, he walks to the woods
and chops load of fresh wood for the fire hearth,
then brings buckets of water from the creek,
and repairs the door and walls of the house.
As the sun sets behind the misty mountain,
Scott lies down on grass in front of her door,
but she nudges his arm with her small foot,
so he follows her inside the small cabin.
After he eats delicious mushroom soup,
he falls asleep and dreams of blasting bullets,
then wakes at dawn and chops more fresh firewood
as the woman collects eggs from the chickens.
Every dawn when he wakes, Scott chops firewood,
brings water, and repairs parts of the cabin,
then he builds two tables, six chairs, one bed,
and three cabinets for dishes and food.
While eating rabbit stew as the sun sets,
Scott gazes with love in her glowing eyes,
longing to kiss her lips while she sews clothes,
and falls asleep dreaming she is his wife.
Gazing in her eyes, Scott tells her his story.
"I was herding sheep when thieves hit my head,
but the duke thought I helped them steal his sheep
so I was sentenced to hang before dawn."
"Slave traders bought all of us prisoners
then sold us to the army up on Boston
who sent us south to fight their civil war,
but everyone was killed so I escaped."
The woman leans forward to kiss his lips
and he reaches out to caress her cheeks,
but the door bursts open in blowing rain
and the soldier in gray leaps in the room.
The woman shrieks, "Matthew, you came back home!
I was told you were killed at Gettysburg!
This lost wandering man helped repair the cabin
but he will soon return home to Atlanta."
The soldier clutches Scott around the throat
and slams him back against the hot-stone hearth.
"I saw you attempting to rape my wife
so I will kill you for your hideous crime."
Scott struggles to escape his squeezing grip
but the soldier punches his stomach hard.
Gasping for breath as he smacks at his arms,
Scott falls choking into abyss of fear.
Struggling forever against ocean waves,
Scott wakes gasping for breath by the fire hearth,
and stares shocked to see the soldier lying dead
because the woman killed him with the axe.
Dropping the axe, she kneels down by his side,
and cradles his head on her heaving bosom,
then they kiss with passionate loyal love,
holding each other with desperate desire.
After making love in silver moonlight,
they lie together by the crackling hearth.
"My name is Margaret, and I love you, Scott.
I married him after my father died."
"He always treated me like his dumb slave,
beating me if I defied his command.
You always treat me like your smart boss,
obeying my commands with love in your eyes."
Standing together in the small white church,
Margaret and Scott exchange wedding vows,
then sit together at the party table
while everyone feasts and dances to fiddles.
Walking together on the river shore,
Margaret and Scott discuss their future plans,
then holding each other they kiss with love,
haloed by the glowing light of the sun.
© Surazeus
2018 09 16
Hunched on gray rock in tufts of yellow grass,
as thick rain drenches hard mist-shrouded hills,
Scott watches narrow river gushing bright
as it pours in gray waters of the loch.
"I want to escape this miserable land
where priests beat me with sticks for having fun.
I want to sail west to land of America
where everyone is rich and lives in mansions."
Clutching rifle and sword to his thin chest,
Scott guards herd of sheep huddled in the rain,
but dreams about living rich in America
while staring at shadows on distant plain.
Five men leap up from behind tangled bushes,
and run howling at him slouched on the rock,
so he raises rifle with beating heart
and pulls the trigger, but none of them fall.
Dropping the rifle, Scott leaps to his feet,
and swings the sword as they surround his spot,
so he turns back and forth to fend them off
as they all charge at once and whack his head.
Waking up in rain with head pounding hard,
Scott stares at faces of the estate duke
and the police who investigate crime,
and groans when they lock his wrists with handcuffs.
"You colluded with thieves to steal my sheep,
but hit you on the head to hide your tracks.
How much did they promise to pay you, lad?
Or did they already give you some money?"
Scott groans from pain of cuffs cutting his wrists.
"They jumped out of the bushes and surprised me.
I shot at them but I missed in the rain.
They hit me with clubs and left me for dead."
The police take him to the prison house
where he stands trial for helping thieves steal sheep,
and the jury finds him guilty as charged
so the judge sentences him to be hanged.
Guards wake the prisoners after midnight
and herd them all out to wagons with bars,
then two men pay the police bags of money
as they are taken down to the ship yard.
The prisoners are herded onto the ship
that sails before dawn west across the sea
where they are tossed about for several months
till they arrive in the harbor of Boston.
Standing with prisoners on wooden docks,
Scott breathes fresh air blowing from ancient woods.
"I wanted to sail west to rich America,
so here I am by Hand of God or Fate."
Soldiers in uniforms buy the whole lot,
then take them through the busy city streets
to barracks where they shower and eat well,
then are given blue uniforms and guns.
Loaded on wagons, they travel down south
and stand in rows on shore of some broad river.
The general with full beard on prancing horse
stops before them and speaks with booming voice.
"The people of the south keep men as slaves,
so we are fighting them to free those slaves.
If you survive, we will give you their land
where you can farm and raise big families."
Hunched on gray rock in tufts of yellow grass,
as thick rain drenches hard mist-shrouded hills,
Scott watches narrow river gushing bright
as it pours in gray waters of the lake.
"I want to escape this miserable land
where sargeants beat me for not working hard.
I want to sail east to land of my birth
where my mother weeps for me to come home."
Bugles blow so they all stand in straight lines,
then lower guns and charge at distant men,
running through mist as cannons boom bright fire,
and men all around him are splattered dead.
Running forever through thick hail of bullets,
Scott keeps expecting one to blast his brains,
but he emerges from swirls of gray smoke
to stand alone in field of bleeding corpses.
Looking around at heaps of slaughtered men,
Scott gasps fast for air at horror of life,
and runs around the battlefield in fear
till he falls to his knees in shocked surprise.
Stripping the blue uniform off his body,
Scott dresses in leather jacket and pants
he finds on the corpse of the mountain man,
then crosses the river gushing in rain.
Climbing high mountain shrouded in gray mist,
Scott finds small cabin hidden in the woods
beside the pond that shimmers after rain,
so he knocks on the door, heart wild with fear.
The young woman who opens the wood door
stares at him with eyes blue as the noon sky,
then gestures he enter so he sits down
on the floor by the warm fire in the hearth.
The woman gives him bowl of rabbit stew,
so he sips sweet delicious brew with joy,
then falls asleep by the bright crackling fire
and dreams of rain falling on misty hills.
Waking at dawn and stretching arms and legs,
Scott sees the woman holding his own gun
who aims it at his face with frightened look,
so he smiles and thanks her for the good food.
Picking up the axe, he walks to the woods
and chops load of fresh wood for the fire hearth,
then brings buckets of water from the creek,
and repairs the door and walls of the house.
As the sun sets behind the misty mountain,
Scott lies down on grass in front of her door,
but she nudges his arm with her small foot,
so he follows her inside the small cabin.
After he eats delicious mushroom soup,
he falls asleep and dreams of blasting bullets,
then wakes at dawn and chops more fresh firewood
as the woman collects eggs from the chickens.
Every dawn when he wakes, Scott chops firewood,
brings water, and repairs parts of the cabin,
then he builds two tables, six chairs, one bed,
and three cabinets for dishes and food.
While eating rabbit stew as the sun sets,
Scott gazes with love in her glowing eyes,
longing to kiss her lips while she sews clothes,
and falls asleep dreaming she is his wife.
Gazing in her eyes, Scott tells her his story.
"I was herding sheep when thieves hit my head,
but the duke thought I helped them steal his sheep
so I was sentenced to hang before dawn."
"Slave traders bought all of us prisoners
then sold us to the army up on Boston
who sent us south to fight their civil war,
but everyone was killed so I escaped."
The woman leans forward to kiss his lips
and he reaches out to caress her cheeks,
but the door bursts open in blowing rain
and the soldier in gray leaps in the room.
The woman shrieks, "Matthew, you came back home!
I was told you were killed at Gettysburg!
This lost wandering man helped repair the cabin
but he will soon return home to Atlanta."
The soldier clutches Scott around the throat
and slams him back against the hot-stone hearth.
"I saw you attempting to rape my wife
so I will kill you for your hideous crime."
Scott struggles to escape his squeezing grip
but the soldier punches his stomach hard.
Gasping for breath as he smacks at his arms,
Scott falls choking into abyss of fear.
Struggling forever against ocean waves,
Scott wakes gasping for breath by the fire hearth,
and stares shocked to see the soldier lying dead
because the woman killed him with the axe.
Dropping the axe, she kneels down by his side,
and cradles his head on her heaving bosom,
then they kiss with passionate loyal love,
holding each other with desperate desire.
After making love in silver moonlight,
they lie together by the crackling hearth.
"My name is Margaret, and I love you, Scott.
I married him after my father died."
"He always treated me like his dumb slave,
beating me if I defied his command.
You always treat me like your smart boss,
obeying my commands with love in your eyes."
Standing together in the small white church,
Margaret and Scott exchange wedding vows,
then sit together at the party table
while everyone feasts and dances to fiddles.
Walking together on the river shore,
Margaret and Scott discuss their future plans,
then holding each other they kiss with love,
haloed by the glowing light of the sun.
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