Digging Postholes

He was teaching his boy Melvin
how to play some baseball
so he stolt this baseball bat
off the churchhouse softball team
brung it home
he opened up the garage door
a little bit he put these little gravels
down on the ground inside
had Swamprat stand there
ever evening before dark for a week
holding the baseball bat
and the swallers'd come out
they'd see them gravels
flown down to get it
the way they do
so Melvin when they come in
through the door
he'd see them coming in out of the light
he'd swat at them with that bat
learning to hit baseballs
that's deep enough
I done got a cedarpost
youg'n go head and dig the next one
Ellis Britton he'd whip his ast
if he didn't hit some
ever night you could hear him
hollering boy you
keep your eye on the sonofabitching bal
l you swinging like a damn girl
you want me to get you a orningboard?

Melvin he'd bawl
he'd squowl I'm trying goddammit
Daddy them bastards won't holt still
Ellis Britton he'd holler
just clost your mouth boy
here comes anothern get ready
where'd that tamping rod go?
so he'd hit a few they's all squashed up
out in front of the garage
here come the cats

Ellis Britton he knew them cats'd
bring him bad luck
if he let them stay around
so he taken and borrowed this pellet gun
from the preacher's boy
made this one daughter of his
set on the porch with the gun
while he heped Swamprat
learn to hit baseballs
and shoot them cats when she seen it
sneaking up on the garage
to get them dead swallers
it was this one she shot at

ripped him up a little bit somewhars
that cat couldn't think of nothing to do
but climb a tree
but there wasn't no tree out there
just Ellis Britton
he's hollering how'd I ever
get a piss ignorant boy
like you? you done missed anothern
I'm running out of patients boy goddmammit
that cat clumb right up him
that one'll be a cornerpost
dig it a little deeper okay?
so Ellis Britton
like he got his tit in a wringer
bellers godamitey godamitey
get him off get him offme
Melving he sez is it one coming Daddy?
his daughter she commenced
to pumping that pellet gun up
hollering Melvin Melvin
that cat went right up the side of his face
torn whole handfuls of hair out of his head

he couldn't grab it fast enuf
just hollers get him off
get him OFF me
his daughter yells Melvin Leon
Melvin Leon pumps that gun
Ellis Britton's wife comes out the housedoor
screams jesus godamitey judastpriest
Swamprat runs out the garagedoor
he sez whar whar? Ellis Britton hollers
get him off get him off
that cat about torn his ear in two
he grabbed holt and was hanging on
Ellis Britton's wife she hollars
do sumin DO sumin
Melvin he sez whar is it whar is it?
his daughter hollers on his head see him
on his head she shoots Ellis Britton
in the shoulder with the pellet gun
Melvin says I seen him holt still
Ellis Britton's wife hollers help your daddy
HELP your daddy Ellis Britton he yells
goddam what was that?
when that pellet hit him in the shoulder
he turns around Melvin
he hit him in the face
with the baseball bat
the cat run off and hid
when he fell down
got away

it should be a big cedarpost in the pile
see if you can find one for the corner
so his nose was busted
it broken off half his front teeth
he had them all pult out
got him some storeboughten ones
sez it wasn't worth it to fix them
it costed too much
most was rotten anyways
they had to operate on him
to get that pellet out of his shoulder
that cat never did come back

Melvin didn't get picked
for the baseball team that summer
he could hit but he couldn't catch
he had this one eye it was crossed
he couldn't find the ball
up in the air after itus hit
that's a good one bring it over here
they's afraid he'd get his brains knocked out
if it was a flyball hit on his head
they known Ellis Britton
he'd sue the Little League if it did
so they wouldn't let him play no baseball
they couldn't afford it stick it
in and scrape up some dirt
with your foot and I'll get the tamping rod
so then after that he

 

"Digging Postholes" from Porcine Canticles
©1984 by David Lee, Reprinted by permission
Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271
Port Townsend, WA 98368 (360/385-4925)