Sometimes When Shadows Fall

Sometimes when shadows fall across the ridges Spirits conjure up images from the foggy valleys Rapidly fading memories of mountain life yesterday. Majestic crests still whisper hidden secrets of the past-- Escapes from Trails of Tears, wretched poverty, Melungeon peoples and marrying into respectability. Nestled in the hollows were the tiny one-room schools Holding out the only hope of a better life someday, Backwoods holy-rollers, sometimes snake-handlers, Offering salvation to the faithful and the brave. A new generation will someday gaze upon the hills Remembering only, I suspect, that their parents fled Played-out mines, wasted timberlands, failing farms, And made for them a different life in faraway places With large, consolidated educational centers And mega-churches hoisting magnificent steeples. Sometimes when shadows fall across the ridges Spirits conjure up images from foggy valleys Rapidly fading memories of mountain life yesterday. Majestic crests still whisper hidden secrets of the past. July 2, 2022 submitted to "2022 Marathon Mile No. 6" Poetry Contest sponsored by Mark Toney FIRST PLACE WINNER Brian Strand "Informel" Poetry Contest March 14, 2022