Sonatas XII

Pieces of the Present Abide - The Life of the Place (Farms)

Words by Khaetidawne and Brendan Quirk

A few pieces from, on, or around some of the farms in the area. Not being a documentary of the state of agriculture in the county, this is just a small selection of scenes that touched my eye. The ubiquitous red barn is not here heavily featured (especially as this is in black and white!), but more peripheral areas are foregrounded.

Sonatas XII-80 (Farms)	Sonatas XII-81 (Farms)
A working farm we are passing by With all its buildings and silos beneath the sky. Cows on the side, fields and trees in the rear The business of farming is showcased here.	Not as picturesque as Currier & Ives We drive by invading upon the cow’s lives. Some may still roll down windows and call out “MOO” As if the cows would respond to you…
Sonatas XII-82 (Farms)	Sonatas XII-83 (Farms)
Frolicsome bears by the beehives play At this honey farm road side display. They’re little cubs, babies, looking for honey to eat They attract customers seeking something sweet.	Little shed in the shadow of the giant barn The shed knows the great barn is the star of the farm. The barn houses the tractors, horses, and cows; the shed smiles - “Cows and horses give birth in this shed and stay with me for a while.”
Sonatas XII-84 (Farms)	Sonatas XII-85 (Farms)
They decided I was in the way; someone came and hewed me down one day They took my limbs and leaves, but they ran out of time and went away. I put out two stumps and tried to go, but they cut the grass around me so Completely still I had to be, for I was just a cut down tree Will they come back, what shall they do, will I be cut in pieces too? Oh what is this! A great huge truck - to a mill they’ll take me, I’m in luck! Two pretty tables they’ll make of me - I am staying with my family!	This pastoral scene takes me back to my Southern “Place” of long ago I remember the cane fields, families gathering, cutting harvest just so. The palmetto huts built for ice chests and shade - Young and older folks serving ice-cold lemonade.
Sonatas XII-86 (Farms)	Sonatas XII-87 (Farms)
An old silo in Ashippun seems to wear an odd hat With a “fur coat” of ivy - imagine that. Can’t see a door on the bottom, though there’s a wee place to climb Reminds me of Rapunzel letting down her hair, yellow and fine.	This hat made of shakes, with vine hair that sticks out below There’s a chimney on top where the witch’s leaf mustache does grow. The window is just right for someone to climb in Now a silo-house fairy tale waits to begin.
Sonatas XII-88 (Farms)	Sonatas XII-89 (Farms)
A little stone building – Oh! what can it be It’s too small for a barn, but there’s a hayloft, see? Could have been a smokehouse, with a chimney and a different roof long ago Or maybe it’s a secure storage house, it would be hard to break in you know.	An old tractor like Papa’s; his is a John Deere - Like Grandpa John Oliver had in yesteryear. Farmers love their old tractors, and hay balers too I remember my Grandpa and Papa when I see this, don’t you?
Sonatas XII-90 (Farms)	Sonatas XII-91 (Farms)
Framed by foliage and ferns making leafy lace; On a hazy day a farm here waits To show the abundance around this lovely place - A beautiful picture of farm country’s grace.	See how the luster of sunshine on the roof top glistens and glows All the new additions make room for the farm family as it grows. Old bricks and city bricks mingle in the design Of a farmhouse near Mayville getting better with time.
Sonatas XII-92 (Farms)
Bright metal roof top on a farmer’s barn shimmers and shines Does it house cows or tractors? To a farmer his barn is divine. It’s not just for storing things; it is his domain - Sanctuary for work and pondering, not just to keep out of the rain.