The Bend

At the dead end of a once country road

A driveway sits, long and rocky.

At the end of this drive, you find a home.

It is nothing too flashy, but a place that is safe and loving.

Behind that brick and mortar there was once a family of five

A mother, a father, two sons and a daughter

Each person with their own unique focus on life

Converged together each evening to share a meal

The father, tall and strong, worked hard in the Alabama heat

He was a phone lineman and worked long and hard for the ones he loved

The mother, beautiful and intelligent was a perfectionist

She struggled to balance the hardships of motherhood

But did what she did in the name of love for her children.

The eldest son spent his time chasing rock and roll

Shaking the ceiling with the sounds from his stereo.

The middle son was smart like his mother, but very shy

He had a good heart but self doubt stifled him greatly.

The daughter was cute and loving to all she met

Until the world revealed its ugliness and she grew cold and mistrusting.

On any given day, you could find that family in their home

Trying to do all the things a family is told they need to do.

There was love and there was anger.

There was care but also neglect.

The simple brick home was a safe place

Surrounded by hayfields and cows

A pond that drew mosquitoes was nearby

The gravel driveway, long and dusty,

Was a sign that you were near a place of refuge.

Imperfectly perfect, it was our home in The Bend.