Work Ethic

I remember my boyhood days, and living on a small farm where money was was scarce, and we were expected to do our part.  This poem reflects this:


                                                 It was just expected
                                                  that a ten year old boy
                                                 was old enough to earn the money
                                                   needed to buy his school clothes.
                                                 Working on Skinners' truck farm
                                                   picking strawberries for five cents
                                                 a quart was the start of my summer's
                                                   labors.  Later when peas were ready
                                                 to be picked, another week or two in
                                                   the hot sun brought me closer to
                                                 my goal.  Riding the bus filled with bean
                                                    pickers was the next stop.  Arriving
                                                 at Brown's farm in Brooks, I'd spend
                                                   my day picking beans for a dollar
                                                 a bushel.  Topping off my summer
                                                   was raking blueberries in August.
                                                 This would give me enough money for
                                                    school supplies as well.  This education
                                                 in the fields helped shape a young boy
                                                    into a responsible man. 
                                                 I never returned, but I know I took away   
                                                    much more than I left behind.