Winter Morn In Branch
Snow covered rooftops
A frosty window pane
Smoke rises from a chimney
That dwells in yonder lane
The sound of children
On the crunch of new fallen snow
Handcats, slides, and sharpened skates
Are made ready to let go
Some are dressed in homemade mitts
Tasselled caps, and fur line jeans
While others are not bundled
Bareheaded and open at the seams
A mothers voice is often heard
Be careful where you go
Don't go on the slob ice
Stay ashore on the hard bit of snow
Proud fathers can be seen
Bringing water from the well
Chopping wood and making splits
With yarns galore to tell
Older kin are sweeping snow
Away from their front door
As younger kin get ready
To visit the local store
While many gather at the mail
To gossip or to talk
About last night's frost and how it was
To cold to go for a walk
Each day as winter passes on
Branch people will do what they can
To welcome the snow, the wind, and the rain
And see it as God's plan
So never frown, on your little town
In the middle of a hard winter's storm
Think of the sunshine, the fog and the rain
And be proud of the place you were born
Written: September 2008