Sarah Rose (“Rosie”) Williams remembers her Mama
well there was this one time I ain’t never spoke of
before. when Paulie and me was headin’ up to the store
them three Parson boys was comin’ down the path
lookin’ mean as Uncle Earl’s bitch hound Sophia
when Oscar the cat done scratched her pups
two summers gone. them white boys was raised
mean by the switch and leather strap their daddy
wore ‘round his neck. “fo’ easy correctin’” he would say.
their mama done ran oft on their daddy ‘cause she said
she had took all the correctin’ she was ever needin’.
I was holdin’ Paulie’s hand tight as my fist could manage
while he squirmed and hollered a bit but I told him hush
‘cause I had forgot Daddy’s pocket knife in my apron
atop the coal stove like he had told me never to do
a hundred times plus more. then Paulie fell silent
as if noticin’ them for the first time. he stopped squirmin’
but I could feel him squeeze his eyes closed
through the skin. I prayed the Lord Jesus would come
and take us off that path and hold us in His almighty arms
tight as I held Paulie. I prayed my Granddaddy’s angel
would put up his harp and fly down with a fiery sword
or head home and grab the rifle he used to kill white boys
like these durin’ the war that done won him his freedom
but too soon them white boys was right on top of us
and I heard no rushing of angel wings. we had nowhere to go
to the left or right ‘cause the path was curved like their hate
and narrow as their blue ice eyes. I was scared
as they stood above us. too scared to move a hair.
they had somethin’ in their hands but I couldn’t see what.
and Paulie was about to wet his pants from the way
he was shakin’ and I guess them three white boys
could tell too ‘cause they started to laugh. I closed
my eyes and waited for the Devil to come and
I kept them closed for forty days and nights
surrounded by wild animals in a wilderness
waitin’. I felt a hand on my shoulder but I was too afraid
to lash out or struggle or nothin’. I just stood there
waitin’ until I heard my Mama’s voice comin’ through that hand
and turned ‘round to see her standin’ there with an expression
that I have no words to tell ‘bout but she wasn’t lookin’ at me
or Paulie but down the road at them three Parson boys runnin’ away
from my daddy’s shotgun like stone in her right hand.
she kissed us both on the forehead and pried our hands apart.
she put Paulie on her back and took my sweaty palm in hers.
the whole time her round eyes never left the far end of that path.
and then we walked home. she muttered somethin’
under her breath I couldn’t quite make out but I’m pretty sure
that was the only time I ever heard Mama cuss.
First published in The Raven Chronicles. (2009)