Valley View

Kentucky you seem so far away all I have are memories of another day.

I would like to go back to the peaceful valley that I once knew.

A place on the Kentucky river called valley view.

The valley was so peaceful which I was a child.

I could see the train cross over the river on the trestle so high.

There were tug boats on the river and I could watch the ferry boat too.

Not too far away was the little county school.

I can remember the river on a warm summer night.

How it would sparkle and shine in the pale moon light.

The orchard with its cherry red and the Kentucky cardinals with top nots on their heads.

The old camp ground on a summer day.

Colored people from town would come to picnic and play.

They had so much fun and they sounded so gay.
They laughed and they sang throughout the long day.

They spread white cloths on the tables around.

Benches were there so they all could sit do
Food was piled high and there was plenty to drink.

They had a big white pot full of coffee and a big can of pink lemonade.

Sometime brother and I would wander down that way.

They would always share their food and their pink lemonade.

I would sit on the front porch as the sun was going down.

They would be singing spirituals before they went back to town.

Grandpa would sit there and he would hum along.

When they sang golden slippers Grandpa burst into song.

After the train had left the station and they were on their way back to town.

There was a pleasant feeling the valley as the sun went down.

~Nora Lee Katherine MAUPIN Snapp