country life for old folks

We were young and we dreamed of a vine covered cottage
out in the country somewhere
we would plant and we'd harvest
and live off the land
and add to our bounty each year
we pooled our few dollars and moved to the country
and knew that our dreams would come true
those first years were a wonder of laughing and working
but the grass just kept on a-growing


The kids came along and they grew up and left us
and our backs wouldn't hold for the chores
mowing machines failed to mow and earth started cracking
the beans didnt make and the corn was disaster,
bank accounts were bereft and I fear
out here in the country there is no hay for cattle
and no way to buy for fly away dollars done flew
The only place green is around our sweet cottage where this morning I looked out and knew
there were possum, raccoons and hungry coyotes who surely did know what to do
the possums soon canceled the chickens, coons came inside to hide from coyotes
and the snakes did abide with us too
disease sent us quaking in fright that mosquitoes would bite
but nothing we did and no matter the trying the bad grass grew and it grew.
if we could be lucky and scrape up a dollar or two, we'd visit the the children and worship the concrete
and remember when life was so new,
but they may come to see us'in this lush country grass and see a cottage all covered in vines, that cutting with loppers won't cut, grass killer won't kill and if we could we would sell but how tell the folks that might come to see it that finding the front door is hell
because the weeds, grass and vines shed the seeds they are sowing, and the darned things just keep on a growing