Udo- by LaVerne Lovelady Sweet honeysuckle and hummingbirds and whippoorwills in distant groves; bumblebees and garden peas, and cotton growing in jagged rows; coal-oil lamps and water wells, the smell of cornbread in the air; gentle red cows and mean old sows, and a magnificent sorrel mare; the peanut crop and sugar cane, sounds of workers in the field, the weighing rack for the cotton sack, the one my mother wields; lightening bugs and crawdad tails, and neon lights from a near-by town; sticky red clay on a rainy day, a soothing mist over silent ground; bold adventures and daring games of riding young saplings to the ground. Unbridled Days and my brother’s praise are lost to millennial sound.
LaVerne Lovelady is a 30-year veteran teacher of English and Interpretive Fiction. Her poems, essays, memoirs, and political commentary have been published in various publications through the years, including the WOK Anthology 2017 and CWC Literary Review. Her first novel The Quay Question was recently published. LaVerne is a native Oklahoman, a direct descendant of the Alabama Creek Path Cherokees. She lives in Bakersfield with three adorable cats: Soo-Lin, Siam, and Miss Kitty.