Leaving Lymon LESA CLINE RANSOME HOLIDAY HOUSE NEW YORK
Daddy
ONE parchman Farm Sunflower County Mississippi 1938 ΜΑ and Grandpops didn't tell me nothing cept we were going on the train From our house I could sometimes hear the train whistle on quiet nights Grandpops used to tell me sto ries about trains that carry people to places far away to a town I thought was called North Turns out that wasn't the name of a town at all just a place people bought a ticket to Ma made a mess of food She spent all Saturday cooking and the house smelled like frying grease and pickles and choc olate cake I told her twice I was hungry just to get a taste of something but she hit me so hard on my backside I stopped asking after that Way past supper and bedtime Grandpops came in my room whispering Lymon c'mon now Time we get going He dressed me quiet in my church shirt and pants wrapped my blanket round my shoulders and carried me out to his truck I remember the truck smelled like all the food Ma had been cooking and that smell woke me up good We going on the train now I asked 3
