All them foreigners that move here
they always tell me that they've come
To search for open spaces
‘cause cities made ‘em feel so numb
They came out here to Montana
to a place where they could feel free
To bulldoze out the pristine streams
and chop down the Aspen trees
To tear away the lodge pole pine
ponderosas and tamarack
Dig away the mountain side
and cram their houses back to back
They flatten out the rolling hills
to build a shopping mall or two
Built all them buildings so damn tall
their blocking out the mountain view
They've taken all the wildflowers
and laid down asphalt and cement
Put solar panels on their roofs
'cause that’ll save the environment
Should a deer wander into town
they want the law to do the deed
Because having wild critters around
is something that they just don't need
They say that they feel better now
with all the beauty they can see
Just sitting in their sealed off rooms
watchin' nature shows on TV
I grew up in the high Appalachians
Near the rim of the newest parklands,
Before strangers discovered the beauty
And the possibilities of running the rapids,
Enterprising out-of-staters saw promise
Buying up the small farms and fields,
Making them summer whitewater camps.
Now, real money is being made while
The seasons allow the sounds of laughter,
Drowning out dejected sighs of poverty
In the high Appalachians where I was born.
written September 12, 2021
I hate the fact I feel fatigue
For no apparent reason.
I hate the fact I can’t get cherries
Since they’re out of season.
I hate when someone shares my bench
Though six feet can be measured.
I hate to lose or misplace something
That I’ve always treasured.
I hate when out-of-staters
Park their cars right on my street.
I hate when I can’t order foods
I’ve always loved to eat.
I hate when aching joints prevent
Me skipping up the stairs.
I hate when someone blesses me
Or puts me in their prayers.
I hate not seeing friends and also
That I cannot travel.
I hate the way that Covid made
So many lives unravel.
I hate the fact my age keeps finding
Different ways of showing,
But most of all, I hate the fact
My list of hates keeps growing.
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