2019
(A Farmer’s Christmas Lament)
by
James N. (Jim) Zitzelsberger
Sure am glad Christmas is here
Because it’s been one hell of a year
With global warming turned wet and cold,
And early snow like in days of old.
Half the corn is still out in the field,
And don’t even ask about the yield,
Nor the price per bushel of grain
With no China deal and all that pain:
Count yourself lucky for half a crop,
And be thankful for what you’ve got,
Because there’s neighbors all around here
Who didn’t even get to plant this year.
We’ve certainly had too much rain
Which has made a dyke of every farm lane,
Flooding fields on either side
That lap and tear at a farmer’s pride!
And then, as if markets an’ nature weren’t enough
To make the year rough and tough,
Politicians keep spreading their fertilizer
On barren fields because they’re none the wiser!
So nothing much else has been getting done,
With only fleeting glimpses of summer sun,
Except trying to keep those wet fields black
And the miserable weeds from coming back.
Oh, I hear milk is up a bit
But you can’t see a cow from where I sit
Because every small dairy farm in our town
Has folded, ceased, and already shut down.
Yet, I’m still hopeful for more December cold
To finish the combining when the fields hold
And earn some cash for next year’s seed,
To top off the pile I didn’t need,
And a few gifts under the Christmas tree
For everyone who’s been putting up with me,
Cussin’ an’ fussin’ an’ bendin’ their ear,
Because it’s been one hell of a year!
Merry Christmas!
©2019James N. Zitzelsberger
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