Moccasin Bend

I grew up running through the woods,

Where the old oak trees still stand.

Swimming in the creek below,

And drinking from the spring.

The smell of biscuits filled the air,

Fresh from Mama’s hot pan.

Dad sat smoking in his chair,

Cussing at the falling rain.

Those simple days I used to know,

Moccasin Bend was my domain.

I miss those days from years ago,

Before my world began to change.

Packed my dreams in a duffel bag,

Joined the service, hit the road.

Saw the lights of distant cities,

Far from everything I’d known.

Met my wife along the way,

Made our home in a different place.

Built a life with different seasons,

Miles and miles away from those woods.

Those simple days I used to know,

Moccasin Bend was my domain.

I miss those days from years ago,

Before my world began to change.

Raised our children our own way,

They grew up in a different life.

Took them home to visit their grandparents,

Where they discovered those same woods.

When I think back now, I wonder,

At the boy I used to be.

Running wild through morning shadows,

Young and strong and feeling free.

The folks are gone, the kids are grown,

The barn has fallen, garden is covered in weeds.

The woods need clearing, spring is dry,

Nothing left of what was mine.

Now it's just a place I used to know,

A spot I sometimes pass through.

But it's changed beyond my reach,

Those woods don't hold me like they used to.

Alan Simpson