before I found the courage
to knock the Wyoming mud
off the wheels of your truck
It was six months more,
today, in fact
before I cleaned the inside
I found a penny
under the floor mat
and a book of notes
written in your hand
They are where you left them
as much a part of the truck now
as the wheels and doors
She cleaned up real nice, Momma
My son, my Tommy
tuned 'er up and she runs real nice
I told you I would never accept
a thing you left behind for me
and I meant every word
It was a wise and sage move
on your part
to put the title in my name
as well as your own
I'm glad you did
Aside from my old Hawg
she's the only vehicle I'll ever drive
It was difficult for me
when you followed your man to Wyoming
to spend your last years
on that far, hard ground ranch
I tried to go with you
but returned to Colorado
less than a year later
Yes, Colorado, my home
the place where I was born
and raised by your loving hands
I've never owned a license plate
with a cowboy on it
but yours hangs in a place of honor
on the wall of my garage
That Ford of yours looks good
with mountains front and back
I keep my share of your ashes
in a black box on my desk
My siblings followed your wishes
and spread theirs on that Wyoming wind
that you said never blew
Forgive me this bit of selfishness
It is true, I'll never let you go
I've instructed my wife and children
to put part of me in that box with you
when the time comes
to keep us together always
in close proximity
to my writing and music
I used that picture of you and Dad,
1949, Hideaway Park, Colorado
where I was conceived
for the cover of my second novel
I'm a Coloradoan, Momma
so are my sons and daughters
It is a good place to be from
so good, in fact
that I'll never leave
and so are you
a wonderful place to be from
I think you knew
I'd eventually bring you home
and spend the rest of my life
finding my way back into your arms
Copyright (c) 2006, Tom Sterner Howe
Used with the author's permission.
by
Tom "WordWulf" SternerHowe
Mother's Day 2006
Tom "WordWulf" SternerHowe
Flagstaff Mountain
Guanella Camp, Colorado