dVerse Poetics : Passions Stamped on Lifeless Things

Click on the tractor for link to dVerse post by merrildsmith in Poetics.

Old tractors can’t retire with much dignity.
Ours rests over yonder, near the barn.
With winter’s cold, snow, and ice,
or dry poundings of hot summers,
she tries to show well, just a little rust,
peeling paint, heavy worn tires.

Made to plough and cumber a heavy beam,
an ox of steel and rubber, she carried men to work,
sowed seeds, and tilled the soil.

A mammoth farm and ranch hand, she
pushed and pulled cultivators and harrows,
drug fertilizer wagons,
pulled mowers, rakes, and bailers
with tires heavy with water and mud.

I still remember the day I first grabbed ahold
of her wheel learning to drive and work hard.

Thank you, my friend, for teaching me
so much about life, work, sweat, tears,
and the weather. But mostly about how
to age gracefully and with dignity.

Look both ways but history teaches more.
Mind the gaps, find the truth, keep your pride and dignity until a tractor retires.

60 thoughts on “dVerse Poetics : Passions Stamped on Lifeless Things”

  4. Now that is how you give thanks for all those hard years of work!
    Lovely ode to a rusty old tractor! They are so cool to photograph when they are passed their prime…

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    1. Thank you for your high praise, Dale. I couldn’t resist the call. I have many pictures of tractors that I’ve taken. In a way, each is both art and history.

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      1. I believe you. And the fact you have many pictures proves my point 😉
        Tell me, whose hands are on the keyboard on your header? 🙂

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      3. Hehehehe…
        And here I am – all my plans for yesterday’s dVerse and then today’s seemed so interesting and dammit. I just can’t keep up.

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      4. I didn’t plan to post anything today. And FF will pop up in a few hours. But I do not work. If I did, all bets and posts would be off.

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      5. Yeah. And I know what the picture is. 😉
        And I dunno if I will play or not.
        Because I am still thinking about today’s post. And the day before’s post.
        And dammit. I sneak in a line or two whilst I should be doing stuff that bores me to tears… and when I’m not searching for a new job…

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      6. I should pick a header image and leave it. But I can’t seem to do it. I hope you find a wonderful job that makes you happy 😊.

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      7. Why? Ive had the same one since 2016… I’m thinking I’m due for a change!
        Ugh. How about no job? Or one where I’m no one’s bitch? I wanna retort: do your own damn expense report! Do your own damn time sheet! Take all your gamebooks and shove them up your ass! I’ve been there for almost 13 months. About 10 too many.

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      8. Why? I don’t know why. I try to make it fit with the mood of the post. I like the darkness of that one.
        It sounds like you just need to be the boss. Dunna know about where you live, but so many seem to be leaving jobs here it is amazing. 🙂

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      9. I meant why not change it as your mood suits?
        Yeah. I need to be the boss of me. 😁
        I dunno. Seems many work from home, too. I like having the interactions with peeps. I think a mix of the two would be good.

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      12. Yes, I worried about my self-discipline if I had to work from home. I was more hands-on, “eyes and ears” type and I felt like my job required it. No longer an issue for me. 🙂

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  8. Wonderful tribute, full of imagery and thoughts that run with sincerity. Really enjoyed this.

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