Peeling Pecans

My dad
liked to sit on the patio
and peel pecans
it was his way of relaxing

he'd spread a newspaper out on
the picnic table to catch the hulls
and he'd have a coffee can
for the keepers
those pecan halves he extracted
were without blemish
exquisite as jewels

of course he would have
his bottle of beer next to
his right elbow
and he would nurse it along
as he peeled the pecans
and this was his entertainment
his excuse for being outside

he liked to be in the yard
it was his domain
he liked the sounds of nature
listening to the birds
watching the grass grow
for being a country boy
he never really got used to
city life

oh he could function in it
and he could socialize when he had to
but mostly he liked
being left alone
and this is how I remember him

a man who loved to dance
and sing and drink his beer
but who always felt better
being a little apart
never comfortable in crowds
he heard a different drummer

to understand him
you had to realize this trait
and know that for him
separation
was more important
than closeness.


© d.knape
July 2, 2013
More "Once Upon A Line" - Light verse and poetry by d.knape
Related Topics: Food | Fathers | People | Columns | Texas

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