Cure Or Kill
When my mama was but five years old
her daddy died of dread TB.
My grandma had six mouths to feed
and could ill afford to follow.
She asked her doctor for advice,
"What do I do to stay alive?"
He prescribed his favorite smoking cure.
"Take up the pipe", he said.
My grandma tried it, didn't die.
She happily smoked her beloved pipe
for the rest of her long life,
much to Mama's great dismay.
My mama thought that castor oil
would cure most everything.
She'd mix it into orange juice
to make it palatable.
I still found it a nauseous drink
and very hard to take.
My kids had it so much better
who need only swallow pills.
She treated colds with Mentholatum,
mustard plasters for pneumonia.
Somehow she kept us healthy
through North Dakota winters.
ForThe Road to Wellville. sponsored by Deborah Guzzi 6th place
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