January: Unloading Feed

Godamitey it’s cold
that dam wind don’t help a thing
I think I may be loosing
another finger and two toes
and that ain’t the coldest part

I hear spit freezes
about fifty below
so hold it in I don’t want no holes
in the side of the barn
when it’s that cold
pee stacks up
my daddy sed oncet
he’s in Montana with a woman
had to chop her loost
from the ground

hurry up and get that other sack
out the truck
let’s go in and warm up
before the rest of us freezes
and falls off

:: David Lee, Day’s Work (1990)

Morning Coffeebreak

The difference between now and then
is when I’s young
all I wanted to do was run off
and find me a river
or a stocktank with a tree by it
to hang my clothes in
so I could cool off and swim

now I just think about that mountain
and a aspen tree with leaves
that won’t hold still to see what color it is
even when the wind doesn’t blow
the bark so white it’s cool
in the afternoon when I set down
with my back up to it
watching a chipmunk go down a hole
and one of us goes to sleep
and the other one don’t care
whether he dreams about him or not

:: David Lee, Day’s Work (1990)

Hired Hand

You need some help
out to your place for anything?
What John? I sed
It’s a man come around
looking for work
here and there he don’t charge much
name Norman and he’s willing
to work for money

you cain’t get no good help
I hired this one college boy
to help me put sheetiron
on my barn roof
that didn’t work out
I told him a look
I’m gone splain this one time
and did what I wanted him to do
but ever time he walked by
that pile of sheetiron
he’d stand there combing his hair
in the reflection of it
trying to look purdy
all I had out there was me
and them ewes
I couldn’t take a chance on it
whatall might be on his mind
I had to work and the ewes
was arredy bred up
I let him go that day

Norman ain’t too smart
but he ain’t purdy
and don’t worry about it
him and a rooster
could stand there and stare
at a line you drawn
in the dirt with your foot
half the morning till you shook him
but if you tell him
what to do and check up on him
he’ll get it done
all of us working together
I imagine we can finish it
before winter comes
but he can come help out
over to your place too
I suspicion if you need help
but he ain’t much conversation
he just understands
whichever you tell him to do
you shouldn’t ask him
for anything more than that
that’s all you’re paying him for

:: David Lee, Day’s Work (1990)

Phone Call

Hello.

Hello, Mr. Williamson? This is David Lee, I live in Paragonah. Dur-
ing my morning run I passed by your stockpens west of Paragonah
and I saw that one of your cows, the black-white face, I think, seems
to have calved during the night. I think around sunrise, the calf was
still steaming, at least I think so. But the cow seems to be in some
trouble, I think her uterus has prolapsed and she probably needs
some help. I was running and didn’t stop and walk over to see, in-
stead I turned around and came back to call and let you know so you
can go out and see if she needs help.

Who’s this? Is this church business?

No, no. Wallace, I’m the guy who runs out by your stockpens every
morning. You wave at me. Today I ran early and saw that you’ve got
a cow in trouble. She’s an angus-hereford cross. She’s calved and her
vagina has protruded. You ought to go out and check on her as soon
as you can.

Is this about selling Amway?

Listen
:goddammit, this morning
in your west pen
the black balley dropped her calf
and her ass is out
down to her knees.
She needs help.

Oh goddam
it’s that two year old heifer
I didn’t know she was that close
I gotta go.
Look mister whoever you are
you call back
take and give my wife your name
I owe you
but I cain’t talk now
I gotta go
but I sure thank you
I’ll make it up to you
someday somehow
Bye

:: David Lee, Day’s Work (1990)