Black Eyed Peas Oklahoma Summer

Black-Eyed Peas (Oklahoma Summer) David J Walker The blooms arrive in June and by July the pea pods start to dangle Soon the picking will begin when Grandma says so shading her eyes From the angle of the morning sun So…. the work has begun Cousins used to summer reunions Deep off the backroads of Oklahoma A competition of kids Filling grocery sacks with fresh Black eyed peas and sent back To complete the harvest Grandma holds the chrome bowl Cradled on her apron between her knees Some to snap and some to shell Some to can and some to freeze Aunt Eula laughs at something mom has said Mom laughs until she cries And as the laughter dies You can hear Granma humming hymns and sometimes the others Joining in singing the sacred words Of the verses they remember The canner sputters dangerously On the stovetop as gauges pop Propelled by steam While the cans cool and The freezer is full of the Fresh packed bounty of the garden Cousins play in the garden hose spray Laughing in the late evening of a July sun Grandma calls from the screened in porch It’s time to eat Wash your hands and wipe your feet The aroma of fried chicken Creamy mashed potatoes and gravy Wild plum jam and biscuits baking in the oven Fresh sweet cream butter that We churned just yesterday And black-eyed peas we picked today All in one day Of an Oklahoma summer