Fifteen Cents
Snakes, goliath hornworms
hidden amidst nightshade,
summer heat, rain,
palm rolled tar balls,
colored spirituals, Pepsi,
Moon Pies, bone-weary.
Loose leaves bundled,
looped, fastened snug,
rafters dripping
a southern delicacy,
gorged, steaming barns,
four to five days, green
to golden bright.
Pinched, spread, rolled,
sealed, inhaled deeply,
just fifteen cents a pack
back in 1938.
by Margaret Bednar, December 30, 2012
North Carolina's old tobacco barns - curing or pack house barns - can be seen dotting old fields, a lucky few restored, old tobacco fields now sprouting residential developments or weed-ridden.
Here is a sweet photo I found of a little girl "looping" (stringing) tobacco.
This is linked with "The Mag" #149. The photo prompt for the week (provided by Tess) is below:
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| Photo courtesy of R.A.D. Stainforth |
I will also link this with Friday Flash 55 and Barn Charm (back Jan 7th)
nightshade: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae
29 comments:
there's certainly some romance to its growing history for this industry.
This is a great perspective Margaret. And I like the way you came at it. Also, the pictures you added are wonderful. I wish you and yours a very happy 2013!
If only they'd known then what they know now about the cigarettes...
My husband's ancestors were baccy farmers in old Missour-ah...
Great collection, loved the poem.
This is an excellent poem, Margaret. I loved every word.
This history goes a long way back with those barns, Margaret. I don't like the thought of people losing their jobs because of an industry out of favor with the public. But Ii really do hope this is the past and not the present...and that we can now just make photo ops of it all!
I love the photos... and the sentiments of times past. But here we are on the cusp of a new year...May this New Year be one of realized dreams… even those we did not realize we were dreaming!
Beautiful pics here, Marge! Never seen this type of buildings before. Glad baccy is losing its luster these days. Thanks for 2012 and looking forward to more wonderful pics for the ensuing year! Happy New Year!
Hank
Love those old barns. Ours only hold hay. And I agree,the process holds a certain romance. Love the poem "gorged steaming barns", but man....fifteen cents a pack? Seems like I remember them being fifty cents. Well, gas used to be that too. Happy New Year!
nicely done...thanks for sharing
Tobacco was such a booming industry back in the day. (Probably still is for those who can afford it!) Our area of MA was known for tobacco growing. Many a teen had their first summer job picking--the leaves permanently staining their fingers, and the smell permeating their clothes. Still a few farms scattered here and there, but most grow the outer leaves for cigars.
Always love the stories and images you share, Margaret!
Margaret, your poetry and photography are so beautifully intertwined ...
Happy New Year
Your poem and photos remind me so much of all the old tobacco barns we have here in Southern MD. I love the smell of fresh tobacco but hate the smell of cigarette smoke!
You pack a lot of history with great images. I also like the deadly nightshade reference. Fitting to be related to tobacco.
love the way you approached this prompt.. and the photos are great..
This made me ponder deeply the strange paradoxes of this being called " tobacco" and the complex relationship humanity has with it , thanks
Thank you everyone!
Ginny... I read that many teenagers, after working one summer in the tobacco fields, decided to go to summer school and study they hated it so much!
Margaret Bednar....
I love a Pic with no power lines or telephone poles.
I love ANY poetry by you!
Fantastic piece of Prompting.
Thanks for playing, thanks for the Dixie Nostalgia, and have a Kick Ass Week-End
Hi Margaret,
Just me, back again. I agree with the G... no power lines or poles...nice. I never get tired of looking at pics of old barns or silos.
smiles...love the feel of home i get from this margaret...the old barns, love them....grew up playing in a couple of them....i could smell the country in this...ha...nicely done...
Times have certainly changed. Even if it's gone to weeds, I think it's better. Though now I really want a moon-pie.
Fantastic nostalgic 55! I love old buildings - no matter the history. ;-)
That was KICK ASS!
I agree with brandi!!!
Wonderful list poem, Margaret--you really drive the images into the subconscious, and of course, just amazing photographs. Those buildings just exude a personality and a time, don't they?
What a beautiful combination of photography and poetry. Times certainly have changed!
I remember as a kid, seeing the late summer tobacco harvests and all those little doors are the sides of the barn would be open to let the air flow through. The poem and pictures stirred a lot of forgotten memories.
I remember as a kid, seeing the late summer tobacco harvests and all those little doors are the sides of the barn would be open to let the air flow through. The poem and pictures stirred a lot of forgotten memories.
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