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Hello Issaquena
by Curtis Johnson

The county seat, humidity, and musical beats. 
After many years, I went to visit my hometown,
Hoping to walk down memory lanes of warm treats,                                         To see my oldest brother, and old friends still around.
                                                                                              
Mississippi, City of Clarksdale
Lots of cotton gins and cotton bails.
Yes, it's where cotton was crowned king.
There was only room for one king and one throne.
And the ruler ship of queens was virtually unknown.
There were the king and the cash, and if there were queens,                         they would be beneath the king and his cash, and nowhere in between.
Everything and everyone bowed to king cotton, even queens.
 
After arriving, I said, “Hello Issaquena”,
I have not seen you in such a long time
We arrived last night, running just a little behind
By the time we checked into the motel, it was past nine
I came today to share a memorable experience one more time;
To look around, to visit, to stare, or even an old friend to find.
Years ago, there was so much about you that became a friend of mine
People came to your intersection standing under your street sign.They came to talk, share, and care;to shop, sit awhile and dine. Some people after a long and laborious week simply came to drink whisky and wine. And I also remember a bench on which sat a Christian lady so divine. She came to your corner every Saturday, so loving and kind. O Issaquena. Your shelters are beaten down, and everything around you causes me to frown. But I know that the thought of you will always be around. O Issaquena. Can you please tell me how they managed to disenfranchise your claim to fame? How did you become bound in those chains with the looks of a portrait in pain? What happened to the barber shop where I use to get hair cuts? Where is the Phone Booth on the corner where I use to make land line phone calls? Where is the grocery store down the street where my dear mother use to shop for food? The Picture Show where my dad use to take us every Monday night is gone. The best hamburger shop where my dad took us to eat after a movie is also gone. I shall miss it dearly, because the taste of her burgers was the best that I have ever known. And whatever became of the Shoe Store where I got my first job when I was a teen? It too is gone.  O Issaquena. Where did they all go? I really would like to know. cj06262015 PSCt14
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