The Mouth of the South, Jerry Clower, 1926-1998
A fertilizer salesman from the South
became a famous comic years ago.
When he was young, he made no detailed plans
to rise to wealth and fame. How could he know
he’d someday make the nation laugh and clap?
His love of others and desire to make
them smile with homespun tales came naturally.
His job would be the catalyst to take
him from the stores where he had shared a wealth
of stories to the stage and studio.
Then all could hear of agile John, who climbed
high in a tree to force a coon—or so
he thought—to leave its branch, but soon he yelled,
“Hey! Shoot this thang!” That angry “coon” turned out
to be a lynx. One story of a meal
tells how old Uncle Versey’s pain-mad shout
ripped through the stormy night. When lights were off,
he’d tried to grab some chicken--the last piece!—
resulting in five forks in Versey’s hand.
The struggle for the morsel then did cease.
His scores of stories are still popular,
but to his legacy, there’s so much more.
This Christian entertainer’s Ain’t God Good
describes Depression-era life before
the world knew who he was. He also tells
of his salvation, serving Christ, his years
in college, and the military life.
Each story—real or fictional--endears
his memory to us. Some also will
recall that, for a quarter-century,
this robust comic powerhouse performed
for scores of fans at the Grand Ole Opry.
Lord, send more Jerry Clowers. Let them prove
that laughs are like the rays from Your bright sun,
that we should spread Your light to all around,
that living for You daily can be FUN.
August 28, 2020
entered in the Living It Up for Laughter Contest Placed 2nd
Sponsor: Chantelle Anne Cooke
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