Vandervoort, Arkansas, Population 98

After church
and sometimes before,
my cousin, Ann, and I
walked to Sandefur's,
the only store in town,
where you could buy
corn flakes, comic books,
or a claw hammer.
We bought candy
to eat on the way home
or in church
if we were careful
not to get caught.

We rode home
in Grandma's red pick-up
with the singing tires
and sometimes gave a ride
to old Lissy,
who smelled.

I remember
my bare feet in the dust,
the outdoor toilet
on the other side of the garden,
and the quiet,
quiet ticking
of Grandma's grandfather clock.

-- Darla Kay Sanders-Weatherford