Cotton Field

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Each summer my parents would take us to my grandfather’s ranch in Southern Texas to help with different jobs. It might be branding cattle, digging fence post holes, or picking cotton! My parents had told us stories about the cotton fields as I grew up. I wasn't old enough yet to partake in this miserable job.

One fine morning my brothers and I were awakened before daylight dressed, fed, and taken a mile down to the cotton fields! We were handed heavy cotton ducking sacks, they were over twice as long as I was.  Diligently  we all started filling our sacks with cotton. Under the hot summer day sun, which was beating down? The field was elegantly plowed with neat rows, lined with brown dried plants, with beautiful fluffy white soft cotton and seeds in bolls. A protective vessel that does its job with sharp burrs that make picking cotton by hand quite painful, and bloody.

I walked up and down the cotton rows dragging my heavy sack. With blistering sun overheating my body, I had begun to ache, getting weaker, the sack got heavier every minute My hands had swollen up with cuts that were bleeding from removing the cotton out of the bolls. After a while I started feeling faint, running a fever, heaving, and then I collapsed  to the soft plowed black soil. My family runs over wondering what had gone wrong. I had developed heat-stroke!

I was never again brought back to the cotton fields.

 



©By: Eve Roper 12/8/2014

Contest Name : Jobs  12/ 11/2014  Honorable Mention

Copyright © | Year Posted 2014



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Date: 4/14/2017 11:13:00 PM
That must have been scary! I bet you were glad you didn't have to go back again. Congrats on your win, Eve! Blessings, Kim
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Date: 4/10/2017 8:14:00 AM
what a tale to be told Eve! sorry for the delayed comment! thank you :)-luloo
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Date: 12/28/2014 8:27:00 PM
dropping back with my congrats:-) Hugs jan xxx
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/28/2014 9:08:00 PM
Thank you, Jan, Happy New Year with many blessings love eve
Date: 12/14/2014 2:05:00 AM
They say necessity is the mother of invention - the work was so tedious it prompted the invention of Whitney's cotton gin. I've never picked cotton myself, but for whatever bizarre reason, I've always kinda like tedious tasks... though I might not be saying that if I actually gave it a go! Sorry for the misery - but at least you got a great piece of writing because of it!
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/14/2014 8:14:00 AM
Thank you Timothy, it did give me the knowledge it gave me on writing the poem. Wells glad to hear from you , Blessings and Merry Christmas to you and your family
Date: 12/12/2014 11:34:00 AM
A really taskful one,congrats on the win Eve...huggs
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/12/2014 12:12:00 PM
Thank you Kayod 5, congratulations on yours too, Blessings and Merry Christmas
Date: 12/12/2014 10:23:00 AM
I've never understood how people would love doing that neither. Congratulations on your win Eve.
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/12/2014 12:14:00 PM
Thank you Brenda. So many people did that for year just to make just a few dollars. Congratulations on yours too, Blessings and Merry Christmas
Date: 12/11/2014 12:21:00 PM
That was a very difficult job which no one wanted to do but many did..Today they have the machine that gets out there and gathers that cotton in to be ginned and made into the clothing that we enjoy wearing...Thanks for entering this in my contest ..I appreciate you sharing part of your life with us..Sara
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/11/2014 1:07:00 PM
Sara, thank you so, your kind words are most appreciated. Blessings eve
Date: 12/11/2014 8:59:00 AM
Very meaningful title, congrats on the win
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/11/2014 9:14:00 AM
Thank you Dr. Mehta Blessings sir
Date: 12/11/2014 8:07:00 AM
Born and raised in Texas, I picked cotton once, too. Also chopped cotton, which is thinning out the plants after they come up. Hard, unfulfilling work. Congratulations!
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/11/2014 8:28:00 AM
Perry, thank you for your kind words, and your visit, I was a child then and I hated going to my grandfathers because of the odd jobs Blessings eve
Date: 12/11/2014 2:44:00 AM
This is an engaging piece of prose poetry/free verse mostly sectioned off into ten syllables and, although not a sonnet of any description I recognise, I enjoyed the journey immensely. Looking at it again, it could easily pass for a Shakespearean soliloquy. I would be interested to be hear what school of sonnets it originates from.
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/11/2014 8:26:00 AM
Perry, thank you for your kind words, and your visit, I am learning, Blessings eve
Date: 12/9/2014 7:34:00 AM
Hard work that was and you did this to the greatest length possible.It proved your grit. Good description. This type of poem is your métier. Because you are basically a story-teller and your heart is divine. Great poem. Great experience. Great Texas. Love Eve. God bless. Best wishes to you and your family....rajat
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/9/2014 8:18:00 AM
Rajat, you are so kind, your compliments are an encouragement to keep writing. May you always be blessed with everything special in life
Date: 12/9/2014 4:14:00 AM
A very vivid description of a hard day's work that others have done all life long! We understand something in the degree we have experienced it, as Plato has said. A captivating narration, dear Eve!
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/9/2014 8:14:00 AM
Demetiros, thank you for your kind words and the visit. So many people are still doing this kind of work just to survive as you know. Blessings to you
Date: 12/8/2014 10:37:00 PM
I live in Texas and the hot sun is unbelievable. Between the bolls and the sun -- a combination for deep grief!!
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/8/2014 10:50:00 PM
So true,David, my grandfather had a ranch in La Gloria Texas so you know how hot it gets.Blessings to you my friend
Date: 12/8/2014 8:32:00 PM
I just can’t imagine anyone that would want to put up with the misery and suffering of doing that for a life time. Indeed,Indeed! beautiful poem Eve,thanks for visiting my page and for nice comment
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/8/2014 10:25:00 PM
Fatima,thank you for your visit and kind words. You are a true poet. Blessings eve
Date: 12/8/2014 4:33:00 PM
That is a job that no one should endure...hugs Tim
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/8/2014 4:54:00 PM
Tim, your right, I was about 11 at the time. Blessings and hugs eve
Date: 12/8/2014 4:06:00 PM
Such a descriptive write about a tough tough job - good luck:-) Hugs Jan xxx
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Eve Roper
Date: 12/8/2014 4:48:00 PM
Jan, thank you, this was a little hard for me to write, because it brought back memories. Blessings and hugs and congratulations again, you need cheering up. Eve
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