Between These Hills

I was born between these hills
Me and my brother, Eddy
Two surviving sons of my father, Sam
Mother fed us well
She told us, plant our feet and live steady
With pride we refer to this dirt as our land

Rotting cold, digging holes
Uncover coal to heat my home
Charcoal mold, smiling gold
With every breath I'm welcomed home
All our trees lean at sixty degrees
'Cause the sky here whispers if you're listening
I'll be buried between these hills
But for the moment
I'll sweep the porch like my father and his father before me

I grew up between these hills
Soaked the soil full of booger and tear
And everything percolates up with the heat once a year
On the anniversary of Grandmother's death
We sacrifice the nearest juniper tree
And thank Jupiter that Grandmother isn't me

Prefer the cold, happy digging holes
There will be enough coal to heat my home
Penicillin from mold, embellish with gold
With every breath I know I'm home
We love how our trees lean at sixty degrees
And we listen with glee when the sky's whispering
I'll be buried in these damn hills
Just like my father and his father and his father before me