Sweat

When I was spindly four, when the world was all Easter egg colored, good folks read from the Bible every day Some could quote the preacher's words before he got them out. Some of the words stayed with me, the part where God told Adam to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow. That was hard. On a hot June day I felt my forehead to see if it was wet, then I buttered a high golden biscuit.

When Papa passed the plate around, I saw his sleeves were wet in the armpits. He told Uncle Prez, "I'm sure glad to finish off that north field before noon. It's a real scorcher."

I ate my biscuit while the butter was melting, and thought about the Bible. Maybe Papa and Uncle were earning their bread by the sweat of their brow and under their arms. I wondered if Mama earned her bread by baking it.

Notes

McDaniel, Wilma. (2001) Borrowed Coats. Hanging Loose Press, Brooklyn, New York.
Courtesy University of California, Merced Library. Copyright owned by the Regents of the University of California.