Texas

Long straight roads,
Driving on the wrong side
Mile and miles of pasture,
Interrupted only
By factory and smells;
Sulphorous or manure
Speed past at fifty-five.

Glorious sun, hot and humid
Surrounds us until suddenly
A blackness descends
From nowhere bringing
An almighty storm
Wicked but refreshing
As the visibility disapears.

Texas, The Lone Star State,
A low unto itself,
Just like the movies
J.R. appearing at every corner,
With a welcome ever so friendly
"Howdy - Y'all"
The rain is London, the welcome not.

18th June 1995 - Edna, Texas, USA.

I wrote this when David, who was my best man and I spent a couple of weeks on a trip to the US to visit friends. Two single guys having a good time on holiday together. We were went to Texas first to visit my friends and then to West Virginia to visit him. Well, just before we left David started dating Ruth, to whom he is now married and by the time we left Texas for West Virginia my relationship to Jenn and definitely changed. She would become the girl I would marry. It's a funny old world!!!


-Richard