Poems and Stories by Fred Lockhart

I ate many lunches at the Red Store and played many pinball games there also. I had a lot of fun and it did not cost me a fortune to do so.
Spendin a nickel
Didn't put me in a pickle
not that I didn't care

I was one of nine
So I didn't whine
When Mom had none to spare

I would pick berries
Then I would hurry
And try to sell my wares

My earnings I would spend
Again & again, & again
Until my pockets they were bare

This scene I would repeat
Because it was such a treat
And it made life so fair

Peanut

A SOLDIER'S STORY
He left a darlin in Harlan
And went off to fight a war
Where in day he fought the commies
And at nite he fought the whores

The battles were quick & deadly
And they never seemed to cease
But every one that he survived
Made him pray for peace

The whores provided a respite
From the hells of war
But they could not heal his hurt
Or his righteousness restore

He was glad when his tour ended
And to home he could return
He had fought for his country
His card he had not burned

Now the war he seldom speaks of
(Is it better left unsaid?)
And we are glad that he is home
And not among the dead
AMEN

Well i got to thinking about 2 older friends, Jerry Massingale & Jimmy Doyle Hughes, and this poem came to my head so I had to write it down before I forgot it.

JIMMY & JERRY

Neither Jimmy or Jerry
Were ever in a hurry
To engage in fisticuffs

But if they were taunted
You got "what You wanted"
You senses they did snuff

Jerry was skinny as a rail
But tough as nails
A coward he was not

And Jimmy wasn't stocky
But he was somewhat cocky
His temper was boiling hot

I've seen them battle
Men big as cattle
And never lose a fight

When it came to butt whippin'
No steps were they skippin'
They fought with all their might

And now they've matured
You can be sure
They've mellowed quite a bit

But don't get me wrong
They can still ring your gong
With one mighty accurate hit

NUFF SAID

I like all your story's Peanut .
Margaret:)

Peanut you old dog you who would have ever guessed in 64/65 that you would some day be a poet Larry,Judy, Anne and I dit'un know it!!!:):o:P

For Annette
Name: SHORTFELLOW
Date Posted: Jan 25, 07 - 11:30 AM
Message: Per your request:

40 YEARS

It's been 40 years since we left
The hills of Kentucky
My how time did fly for us
It seems like only three

We went searching for our niche
Our place in the world
Somewhere that we belonged
And our banners to unfurl

During all those 40 years
Some struggles we have had
But I believe all in all
The good outweighed the bad

Some of us dealt with weight
And loss of a hair or two
But some of that is preprogrammed
So what can we do?

We raised our kids wholeheartedly
To do their very best
But they felt so out of place
Among the stagnant rest


We have been married, divorced(?)
(Struggles make you strong)
And have had friends leave this earth
For their heavenly home

Yes we still love each other
"Friends to the end"
And if the Lord would give us a chance
We'd do this all again

SHORTFELLOW

Subject: PICKER & GRINNER
Name: SHORTFELLOW
Date Posted: Jan 24, 07 - 2:20 PM
Message: PICKER & GRINNER

I wanted to be a picker & grinner
But I became a drunkard & a sinner
Let me tell you how that came to be

Guitar lessons lost me
And that often caused me
To frequently have a beer or two

While tryin guitar pickin
My fingers they kept stickin
Not goin where they're supposed to be

Well I kept on tryin
(To myself I was lyin)
That Eric Clapton I'd someday be

Well after many, many lessons
I am now confessin
Lack of Manual Dexterity

IN OTHER WORDS:
My fingers they don't move well
Makes guitar playing living hell
So I can't be what I want to be

So I guess I'll just grab a brew
And just SING a drinkin song or two
And dwell on my FLEXIBILITY

Oh hell, aint that swell
A picker I can't be
So I'll be a drinker
A downright stinker
Here in Purgatory

KICK IT WILLIE..........................

Subject: LITTLE MISS DAISY
Name: SHORTFELLOW
Date Posted: Jan 24, 07 - 1:11 PM
Message: LITTLE MISS DAISY

Little Miss Daisy
Drove me crazy
With her little girl smile

We were young teens
But what does YOUNG mean
When you're so in love

Holding hands was our pleasure
Our love it did measure
Does that say it all?

But our love was shortened
Cause her mother was courtin
A man she would wed

When daisy departed
I was broken hearted
My life had no Love

But I recovered
When I found another
To mend my broken heart

Yet my heart still remembers
That special time in Kenvir
When Little Miss Daisy had my heart

SHORTFELLOW

Subject: HOMEBREW
Name: SHORTFELLOW
Date Posted: Jan 24, 07 - 12:56 PM
Message: HOMEBREW

My buddy Roger and I
Liked to drink a beer or two
We didn't know what we had missed
Until we tried Homebrew

Will Pace sold it to us
For a buck or two
And we thought we'd feel pretty good
Once we got it thru

It was nite so we drank it
As we walked up the road
And quickly discarded jackets
even though it was very cold

Falling snow stung our faces
As we walked along
But the snow didn't bother us
(We were too far gone!)

The gallon jug was empty
When we got to Roger's home
So I took it and departed
And headed home alone

The jug I deposited it
On the creekbank
And I was really truly glad
I had no more to "drank"

When I awoke the next morn
I truly felt like hell
But I still went to school
I didn't want to fail

Roger wasn't at the school
"He is sick" I was told
I figured he got pneumonia
Walking coatless in the snow

It took 2 days to recover
And we looked rather pale
But that was the consequence
After drinking Devil's Ale

Roger and I now laugh
About our Homebrew ordeal
But that was part of growing up
In our Kentucky hills

SHORTFELLOW

Subject: LIFE
Name: SHORTFELOW
Date Posted: Jan 24, 07 - 10:42 AM
Message: LIFE

I was lucky to have lived in Kentucky
Amongst the hills of coal
Cause that life shpaed me and helped make me
A strong & caring soul

Yes times were tough but I was given enough
To appreciate what I had
Cause when I looked around I soon found
How others had it "Bad"

But I survived and am still alive
My story I can tell
Bout how I strived to stay alive
And learned "Not to Fail"

SHORTFELLOW

Subject: STEEL VEINS
Name: Shortfellow
Date Posted: Jan 23, 07 - 12:01 PM
Message: STEEL VEINS

Those steel veins carried
Our souls amongst the coal
And seeing them fully loaded
Uplifted spirits and souls

Our Great Heart coal was vital
To the American Dream
Becuase it was used
To fuel that American Dream

Our parents would thank God
When the trains rumbled by
Cause it meant there was work
And not a time to cry

For many years the trains' smoke
Blackened the Kenvir sky
But the black soot in that sky
Kept our hopes sky high

Then skies shone brighter
And our hopes became dim
Cause coal minining in Kenvir
Was coming to an end

When the mines all closed
Most families did depart
Because no one wanted?
The coal that was Big Heart

Friendships were shattered
And hearts were sadly torn
Cause they had left the place
Where their dreams had been born

And new jobs never came
Poverty engulfed the town
So hopes had nowhere to go
But down, down, down

Decades have now passed
And things haven't changed
No jobs can be found
In any income range

SO I ASK:
Will the steel vein reopen
And haul Kenvir's coal
To again fuel THAT dream
And lift the area's soul?

SHORTFELLOW

Subject: THE CABIN
Name: Shortfellow
Date Posted: Jan 22, 07 - 12:50 PM
Message: My extended family & I went and spent the weekend at a cabin that my cousin owns near Sitka, KY and I was inspired to write this:
THE CABIN

That cabin in the woods
Is my serenity
It fills my soul with hope
And helps me be carefree

It's nestled between 2 ridges
And surrounded by quiet streams
Its quiet seems like heaven
And that's where I long to be

I go there to escape the mess
Of Today's hectic pace
The quiet there reminds me
Of God's saving grace

So I Thank God for it
And its lovely simpleness
And I hope heaven's like that
When I go to rest

SHORTFELLOW

Bobby McGee part 1
by Fred Lockhart

A Kentucky coal miner
Was Bobby McGee
Who was every inch of 5 foot 5
And weighed one thirty three

Bobby had spent the last 10 years
Mining Poor Man's Gold
But one day she could dig no more
And decided she must go

Her small frame made mining hard
And uncomfortable to do
But mining was all she'd done
What was she to do?

She decided to travel west
And seek a better life
"Self" was all she worried about
There weren't others in her life

Her first stop was Nashville
The home for Country songs
And she quickly found a room
A place to be alone

She napped ever so lightly
Sleep she could not do
So she got up to go eat
And get the evenin thru

She walked into a cafe bar
To grab a quick bite
But it waas very crowded
And made her feel uptight

She turned to quickly leave
Then felt a gentle tap
Beside was a tall young man
Wearing a baseball cap

He quickly spoke and said
"Hi, my name is Kris.
Would you like to sit with me
And get out of this mess?"

Before Bobby could respond
Kris had sat her down
Gave her some of his food
Then ordered another round

Bobby was impressed
By this scruffy young fellow
Even though his approach
was something less than "mellow"

Kris started talking
Before his food arrived
And said he did janitoring
Just to stay alive

Said he also wrote songs
To help him pass the time
Hadn't had any recorded
"But success does take time!"

Bobby answered quickly
And said she was not employed
And that being a coal miner
Was not something she had enjoyed

Kris lightly laughed
And said he understood
Said mining wasn't his bag either
He wouldn't mine if he could


Bobby said with a little smile
She wished Kris success
And further that she knew
His songs would be THE BEST

Kris thanked her quickly
And gently patted her hand
Said that he wished her luck
as she traveled this vast land

Posted by Peanut:
Bobby McGee part 2

He gave her his address
Then quickly interjected
"Keep me informed of your doings
And may God keep you protected."

Bobby said she would
Then quickly kissed his cheek
And quickly she departed
Before Kris could even speak

In order to save money
Bobby bummed rides with truckers
Most of them were very nice
But a few of them were Hustlers

Bobby quickly left the Hustlers
To find good safe rides
Thanked God for the safe ones
And took everything in stride

She made it to L.A.
Some place she had never been
Thought it was too dirty
And loaded with too much sin

Decided she had to leave there
Head north for tranquility
Montana is where she'd go
And find civility

Bumming rides with truckers
Like she'd done before
Bobby made it to Montana
On trip day number four

She had made it to Paradise Valley
"Heaven" in the hills
She knew that she was home
Cause it was God's will

She quickly rented a place
A place to call her own
And quickly thanked God for it
A place of her own

She worked in a local cafe
Serving burgers and dogs
And sometimes even porkchops
When the owner killed a hog

She'd worked there 2 years
When she heard this song
And thought it had mentioned her name
But maybe she was wrong

The jukebox display said the song
"Me and Bobby McGee"
Was written by a fellow named Kris
And was currently Number 3

Bobby hadn't heard from Kris
In little over a year
She figured he was busy
Or maybe didn't care


She figured his schedule was full
Writing more future hits
So she sometimes looked skyward
And threw him a kiss

Bobby then smiled slightly
And a tear came to her eye
So she quickly covered her face
She didn't want to cry

She tried again to contact Kris
Without any luck
His songs were now selling
And making him big bucks

Sadly Bobby never heard from Kris
With her that was okay
Cause she'll never forget the man
That befriended her one day.

SHORTFELL

Very good reading Peanut !!!:):)

GOODBYE DOORS
Name: PEANUT
Date Posted: Jun 17, 07 - 10:35 AM
Message: GOODBYE DOORS(sung to the tune of HELLO WALLS)
by Fred Lockhart
Goodbye doors
I'm walking out you today
Will you miss me?
Once I have gone away?
Please, will you stay closed to unneeded company?
Goodbye doors, I need that security.

Goodbye doors,
Now that I'm not near
Do you miss me?
Miss me and all my gear?
Well I am sure you've grown accustomed, accustomed to the void
Now that you dont close out me and all my noise

I've gone away and have closed all the doors, as I should
But I hope her life turns out very, very good

Goodbye doors,
I've closed you, it's the end
And that really hurts me
The relationship I can't mend
That all makes it fineal, yes the final end
Goodbye doors I won't open you again.

Goodbye doors!

Subject: Sweet Soul Music
Name: PEANUT
Date Posted: Sep 11, 07 - 5:03 AM
Message: Cathy Cusick loved Sweet Soul Music
And sometimes she even loved me
If there was a dance at Evarts High
That's where we would be

We would dance to every song
And would never ever take a break
We danced like there'd be no tomorrow
And like our lives were at stake

People liked our style and moves
Which both came naturally
And they would ask us to dance with them
Cause we danced so "carefree"

But our dancing it had to end
Other things mattered more
So I joined the Air Force
Cause my country was at "War"

Cathy I saw occassionally
Whenever I came home
But we never danced again
Were we better "Left alone"?

My mind sometimes takes me
Back to Evarts High
And when I think Sweet Soul Music
My heart it wants to cry

But sadly those days are gone
NEVER to happen again
But I am glad I lived them
Way back, way back when

Yes I loved Sweet Soul Music
And Miss Cathy too
But some things aren't meant to be
So what can someone do?

NOTHING!

Evarts High
Name: Shortfellow
Date Posted: Jun 20, 08 - 4:08 AM

Evarts High is gone
But not our memories
Of our parts in its past
And of our victories

Most of the teachers cared
About educating you & me
And preparing us for life
And its complexities

Sometimes we felt overhelmed
By assignements we were given
But finish them we did
Cause that's a part of livin'

Friendships we made
Helped solidify our souls
And made us all feeled loved
A love that we still know

Yes EHS prepared us
For the struggles we would face
But we met them all
And fought them face-to face

Those struggles strenghtened us
Made us mentally strong
Made it easier to survive
Whenever we were wronged

So EHS I bid you
A heartfelt "Goodbye"
So please ignore that tear
(I'm not supposed to cry)

Goodbye my friend.

Appalachian Grafitti
Name: Shortfellow
Date Posted: Jun 15, 08 - 11:06 PM
Have you thanked God for your life in the hills?
Country friends, country thrills?
Singing along with the jukebox
To Elvis, Patsy, and Roy
Sittiing on the restuarant steps
With Woodrow and the boys

Playing touch football
Always wanting to win
And never quitting
Again, again, and again

Drinking a 6-cent coke
While munching nickel moon pies
And flirting with the girls
Giving romance a try

Playing the nickel pinball
Shooting a game of pool
And if you weren't doing that
You just weren't "COOL"

Dances at the high school
Provided a needed break
And we'd dance so much
Our feet would sorely ache

Cars, we had none
Cause poverty was our friend
But our thumbs got us places
Via neighbors, others, and friends

Then our innocence ended
We went off to fight a war
And some of us we lost
Home nevermore

But We have the memories
Of that wonderful past
And if God is willing
Those memories they will last

Subject: Songweaver
Name: Shortfellow
Date Posted: Jun 26, 08 - 10:17 PM
Songweaver, weave me a song of love
So she'll know I care
And know that it's my heart speakin'
Not a 6 pack of beer

Take her inside my heart
So she'll know I'm true
And then maybe then she'll know
Our love's not ever thru

Weave that song around our souls
Binding our loves into one
So that love will be stronger
A strong and mighty one



And when we are gone
Maybe your song will inspire
Other lovers in doubt
To love, not tire

Subject: Songwriter
Name: Shortfellow
Date Posted: Jul 3, 08 - 3:18 AM
Message: Why write your songs
When no one cares
Just sit in your corner
and drink your beer

While others' songs
Garner great acclaim
Yours gather dust
Ain't that a shame


You've bared your heart
And shared your soul
And all your heartaches
Noe Everyone knows

But still your songs
They do not sell
Are you stuck
In Songwriters' hell?

But write you must
It's your passion
It's what you do
Not just a fashion

So when succeess
Does come your way
Thank God for it
Each and every day

Subject: Past Tense
Name: Shortfellow
Date Posted: Jul 9, 08 - 7:28 PM
Message: I used to be a wild & crazy guy
And I guess that is why
Some ole friends don't associate with me

I used to drink and raise some hell
And I did them both very well
But that's how I used to be

I'd open the bars & close 'em
Listen to Johnny sing about Folsom
That was how my days evolved

The women I knew did party
And none of them were smarties
So we never got "involved"

Now that's all in the past
And yes it was a blast
But I don't do that stuff anymore

So now I'm somewhat mellow
One "helluva country fellow"
Do I need say more?

I feel that I am lucky
To have been raised in Kentucky
Amongst the fields of coal

Though times were rough
There was always enough
To nourish my country soul

I roamed the hills
And played in the fields
What more did I need?

Breathing mountain air
Having nary a care
Life was good, indeed

I had friends alongside
Enyoying "The Ride"
A happy lot were we

We were seldom a pain
What could we gain
By causing any strife?

So we played together
In all kinds of weather
(Such a wonderful life)

But I left Kentucky
And I felt I was lucky
To escape the poverty

But I'll let you know
I miss its soul
It fills my memory

So I wander back home
Am I alone??
I feel I am not

I feel a hand in mine
Our hearts entwined
Lucky, are we not??

But we must go
And that hurts me so
To leave my Kentucky home

As I say "goodbye"
And try not to cry
I know I'm not alone

Shortfellow

God please bless my "Kentucky" heart.