OLD RED BARN
Adam Jones
December 2008
Knowledge and wisdom are things for which we all yearn.
No matter our age, we always want to learn.
Everyone needs a place to be taught to carry life’s load.
For me an old red barn was the beginning of the road.
My teacher was a tough, hardworking, simple man.
With a grease covered jean jacket, bloodied arms, and skin leather tan.
Simple in honest beliefs and attire,
But a mind every man strives to acquire.
With tools to fix most everything,
It was a place I truly loved being.
So many nuts and bolts there was no measure,
And a junk pile filled with many a treasure.
We changed oil, mufflers, starters, and shocks.
Anything is possible with a truck up on blocks.
Dog houses were built and boats restored,
With so much to do we were never bored.
In time I learned there was something special about this place.
Blood, sweat, and dirt are enough to bring a smile to any boy’s face.
But it was more than that, fore I was learning real values.
Working side by side with my brothers, we couldn’t lose.
Sometimes I feel lost now without that place, that man.
Going on without them hasn’t been easy, but I believe that I can.
The traditions passed on are deep within me.
Never to be forgotten, a part of who I always will be.
Just the smell of grease takes me back to those days.
To a special place and a special man, set in his ways.
I don’t know if I will ever find a place I feel as content,
As I did in that old red barn where most of my youth was spent.