My Uncle's Mighty Red Farmall

I sat on my uncle’s lap
And he in the wide steel seat
Atop the giant red
Farmall.

Now, let out the clutch real slow
He said.
I gripped the rubber-coated
Steering wheel
While he gripped my small hands
With his great, leathery
Callused ones.

Too quickly
I popped the clutch
And the red beast lurched forward
Along the rows of soy beans
In the red Arkansas dirt.

My uncle laughed
As he applied more throttle.
Keep her headed toward that tree
Yonder
Said he.

I sat tall in my uncle’s lap
While we bounced and jostled
Toward the yonder tree.

For a few minutes
I was a grown man.
My uncle trusted me
With his life
His beans
And mighty red Farmall.

While I squashed his beans
He built my soul.

I’ve never sat in the seat of a tractor since.
But for a short while
My uncle taught me the mystery of
Trusting myself…

Even though he never let go of my hands.