Poetry, Prose and Essays
A collection of writings of various genres and time periods
Sunday, February 3, 2013
8 month weight loss...in Texas LOL
My journey began May of 2012 at a weight of 390 lbs. In a little more than 8 months, I've lost 133 lbs and I have 67 more to go. I'm 5'8'' and I have a large frame. I thought it was important to share this on my own blog. :)
SW- 390
CW-257
GW- 190
Monday, December 31, 2012
One Square Mile on PBS fall-2013 (new documentary series)
Excerpt from their website and link above:
- About One Square Mile: Texas
One Square Mile: Texas (OSMTX) is a documentary television series that portrays Texas culture from the perspective of distinct square miles across the Lone Star state. As a whole, the series is a microcosm of Texas life and a collective portrait of the state.
The series represents the many faces and facets of Texas from the perspective of the individual while spanning the emotional, demographic and physical landscapes. This is a series about shared challenges and aspirations. The square miles include urban, suburban and rural communities and neighborhoods from every corner of the state.
- Why Document Texas Culture?
Certain aspects of Texas have been well documented. There is the textbook version of Texas and the historical version of Texas. Current pop culture provides an oversimplified, largely inaccurate and incomplete account of Texas’ past and present, that does not relate to the everyday realities of life in Texas communities.
As important as it is to preserve the past, it’s just as imperative to document the present. When a culture is lost, the community that arose because of it loses a sense of identity and purpose. Texas gained almost half a million people in 2012 and that trend does not look to be ending anytime soon. OSMTX is encouraging audiences to learn about their neighbors and immediate environment while discovering more about the people and places that make up the state. The series is not about creating a template to define, it’s about creating a template to explore.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
"Texas Lament"
A decade and
a half had passed since the war for the possession of Texas and its border. The
Henry family had traveled the vast breadth of the state to return to Samuel’s
family home in Nacogdoches County and sent the eldest son, Thomas, off to West
Point to become something greater than a ranger or farmer like his father and
grandfather. James, unlike his older brother, decided that staying on the farm would
give him the greatest experience and opportunity to buy and sell cattle for the
rest of his life. He was just old enough to begin learning how to push a plow
with a horse or the trusty old gray mule but he had been helping with the
harvest every year. Samuel and Nora had worked hard to restore the farm to its
former glory. Some of the fencing had rotted and the wires were twisted but at
least the log cabin was built to last generations. A couple of years after
Samuel left home, his parents fell ill in their early-mid forties. In most parts of the country and in Europe,
the affliction was known as “white plague” but in the south, it is well known
as consumption. They both died within a year and were buried beside one another
under a row of tall pine trees at the edge of the farm.
At present,
Samuel Henry remains a Texas Ranger Captain and has a reputation as an
unmerciful lawman as well as having a pivotal role in turning the tide against
the Mexicans all those years ago. However, he is on the verge of retirement
when he’s called upon once more. The year is 1862 and the country is engrossed in the beginnings of war and eleven states have already withdrawn from the United States of
America and formed their own republic, the Confederate States of America. Since the election of Abraham Lincoln two
years prior, abolitionists in the North and South have come forward to advocate
for slavery to be outlawed. The Rangers had received reports that an underground
railroad had been constructed on the Rio Grande to move runaway slaves to
Mexico and to their freedom. Samuel left East Texas within a week on a trip
that would take many months by one horse alone. While visiting the trading post
in Nacogdoches, Nora had heard rumors of a Union blockade to keep food and
supplies out of the hands of C.S.A. soldiers. Having shown genuine curiosity
and concern as her oldest son is now an officer and having fought at Fort
Sumter and Bull Run, she couldn’t imagine her son being without food or
medicine and asked some of the traders if they had a way to get supplies to the
soldiers. There was indeed a way by blockade runners and smugglers. Nora was
more than willing to do her part for the sake of her son and future of her
family.
Late that
summer, Samuel arrived near the Mexican border state of Coahuila and assumed
command of operations along one-hundred miles of the lower river valley. He
reminisced of his days in the war. A stampede of sombrero-topped,
long-mustached men riding hard for the well-fortified city of Palo Alto and
firing pistols while mounted on their Andalusian stallions. Samuel and his
company of rangers patrolled the valley for a few weeks with no sign of any
tunnels or smuggling operations. He had received a telegraph from his wife
stating that during the Battle at Antietam in Maryland, their son had been
killed in action. It wasn’t until after
the war when his remains were recovered and buried on the family plot. The only
way Samuel knew how to deal with the loss of his son was to dedicate all of his
efforts to finding that reported underground railroad. He met with a fellow
ranger to discuss expanding the search lines further south and they both agreed
to organize it as soon as possible. Having grown up working his own land,
Samuel never understood why slaves were needed to do the work of lazy and
greedy men. He believed in the promise of freedom on which the United States
was built upon and he realized that the secession and escalating war was due to
the existence of the abolitionists.
One day
while tracking down a lead that a tunnel may be nearby, Samuel spotted a covered
wagon traveling down a small trail flanked on either side by multitudes of cacti
and mesquite shrubs. He and a fellow ranger, his senior, approached the wagon
and asked the driver to stop his horses. The driver saw their badges and guns
and quickly retaliated by drawing his pistol. The draw was too slow for an
experienced Texas Ranger and Samuel put two bullets in his chest and gut. They
dismounted their horses and walked to the back of the wagon and flipped the
canvas up to take a look inside. What they saw were at least a dozen runaway slaves
cramped into the wagon. Samuel saw a few children among them so he assumed at
least some of them are families. He ordered them out of the wagon and form a
line. The rangers working the valley carried several sets of chains and
shackles just in case they found any runaways that they might return to their
owners. His superior thought they’d be too much trouble because it was near
dusk and they would be traveling in Mexican territory in the dark. It was much
too dangerous to do even in daylight so he ordered Samuel to shoot them and
simply collect the bounty on them later. Samuel never killed innocents, runaway
or not, so of course he refused. He ordered him to shoot once more before
drawing his own pistol and aiming for the child in the center. Samuel protested
and punched the older man and knocked him to the ground. He drew his pistol and
fired once, killing the man.
Back in
Nacogdoches, Nora is now alone. With the death of her son, absence of her
husband and her youngest son now missing, her worries and grief dramatically
age her into an old woman. Her only wish was to have her family at home through
the dreaded and never ending war. She wished for the end every day but it
seemed like the day would never come. After killing a man, Samuel fled back
home as soon as he could to escape being hanged in Austin. He knew that
someday, someone would come searching for answers and ultimately, searching for
him and wherever he may be hiding. While riding into the coming winter weather,
he decided that a name change would be the best option to keep his family safe.
Not leaving Nacogdoches, as most would consider that the best option. He couldn’t
find it in his heart to leave his great state and flee to the North. If they
were ever caught, it would be likely that his family would be hanged as well.
He assumed the name of a fallen comrade he befriended many years ago. Ambrose
Bennett would be his name for the remainder of his life. When he learned of
James’ disappearance, he was heartbroken that he could never search for his son
for fear of the authorities discovering his true identity. He and his wife
spent the remainder of the war fighting off illness, hunger, and rebel bandits
who had gone AWOL and steal from anyone they find.
The war ended
in 1865 with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation
Proclamation stating that all slaves are to be made free under the protection
of a Constitutional Amendment. That amendment angered many southerners to such
an extent that bounty hunters and vigilantes roamed the southern states hunting
down anyone who may have aided in slave smuggling. The winter of 1867 was the
harshest since the beginning of the war. The snow was deep that year and the
air uncharacteristically cold for the aging Samuel and Nora Henry. He never
told his wife why he retired from service so suddenly and perhaps he thought he’d
blame it on an injury or claim to have been ill while in the valley. Early
morning Christmas Eve, a trio of men on horseback arrived at the farm and
offered the typical niceties to Samuel and his wife. It looked a bit odd and
out of place to him but he was always ready if anyone ever came to kill or
arrest him. The men got right to the point and asked if he was truly Captain
Samuel Henry and if he was in Rio Grande Valley the summer and winter of 1862. Samuel
asked Nora to go back inside but by then, the men had their guns drawn and aimed.
He slowly removed his gun belt and threw it to the ground and stated he was
willing to go with them. The three men dismounted and approached the
middle-aged and gray-bearded Samuel.
These men didn't look like the type he had served with in the past. These were younger men who
obviously weren't from Texas, chewed tobacco and acted like the crazy savages
he fought when he was a young man. As soon as the loud-mouthed man approached
him, Samuel snatched his gun away and fired and raising his sights and killing
another about twenty feet from him. The third man put a bullet in Samuel’s leg
and scrambled to disarm him. He pistol-whipped Samuel until he was unconscious,
leaving Nora to quickly run inside and grab a rifle. She shot at the last man
but missed. He returned fire and didn’t miss. Nora fell to her knees and
quickly collapsed in a heap. Contemplating about Samuel’s fate, the last man
standing left him there in the snow figuring that was enough punishment for an
ex-Ranger and went on his way as if he was the one defeated and driven away by
the rapid fire of the Winchester rifle Mrs. Henry was wielding.
©Ashley Yarbrough 12/2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
Characters and Timelines
I'm sure my readers have discovered that each of my entries have some kind of connection. The purpose of this post is to highlight those connections. However, with each composition, the roots grow deeper to connect to alternate and non-essential characters. I feel the need to create some background for Nora so she may be the main character in a future story. I'll be updating this list as my blog progresses. Stay tuned!
1810- Samuel Henry born
1815- Nora Belle Johnson born
1835- Thomas Henry born
1840- James Henry born
1862- Thomas Henry KIA at the Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg - James Henry is missing
1865- Civil War ends
1867- Nora Belle Johnson deceased - Bounty Hunters come to Nacogdoches
1846-1847- Mexican-American War
"A Texas Conflict" - 1830-1847 (Samuel)
"A Son of Texas" - 1855, 1862 (Thomas)
"Texas Lament" - 1852, 1862, 1867
"A Texas Hunt" - 1868 (James)
"A Texas Full Moon" - 1875 (James)
"Texas Cordiality" - 1882 (Samuel and James)
1810- Samuel Henry born
1815- Nora Belle Johnson born
1835- Thomas Henry born
1840- James Henry born
1862- Thomas Henry KIA at the Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg - James Henry is missing
1865- Civil War ends
1867- Nora Belle Johnson deceased - Bounty Hunters come to Nacogdoches
1846-1847- Mexican-American War
"A Texas Conflict" - 1830-1847 (Samuel)
"A Son of Texas" - 1855, 1862 (Thomas)
"Texas Lament" - 1852, 1862, 1867
"A Texas Hunt" - 1868 (James)
"A Texas Full Moon" - 1875 (James)
"Texas Cordiality" - 1882 (Samuel and James)
"A Son of Texas"
The bells rang;
it was graduation day at West Point
A young
cadet stands on the steps of the Commandant’s quarters
Adjusting
his sleeves and tidying his trouser legs, not wanting to disappoint
He stepped
into the room and gave a nod to the porter
He snapped
to attention and gave a salute
The
Commandant acknowledged and spoke to the boy
“Congratulations
Cadet, you've been a fine recruit.”
New gold
bars presented in a box, his alone to employ
The years fast
forward to a time of great division
Blue against
grey; brother against brother
States
secede, citizens revolt, clearly not a moment of indecision
Talk of
civil war had blown through like a souther
The young
soldier from Texas joins the grey coats
Thousands of
ill-supplied Confederates march to battle
Diplomats
bicker while young men slash at each other’s throats
Families on
either side losing their chattel
Battlefields
made of farms, houses and churches destroyed
Blood-stained
ground greeted the soldiers at the hill
Bouncing
cannonballs and musket fire he wanted to avoid
His duty to
Texas and his oath to his academy he did fulfill
Here lies
the body of the young soldier near the Dunker Church
His
brothers-in-arms continued defending their position by the creek
It was the
bloodiest day of the war, a monument now rests on a perch
Here lie
thousands of soldiers in ‘Bloody Lane’, the landscape seemingly bleak
©Ashley Yarbrough 12/2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
"A Texas Conflict"
It had been only twenty-two years
since the conception of the Texas Rangers by Stephen F. Austin and the
organization has been at the helm of law enforcement for the Republic of Texas.
After the fall of the Alamo in March of 1836, there were many young men
mustered into service to prevent a Mexican retaliation upon signing of the
treaty recognizing Texas’ independence. Among the early volunteers in the
Rangers was a young Samuel Henry. Born in East Texas in 1810, Samuel was the
youngest of six children and had grown up a poor farm boy. He had little or no
education because the family required many acres of land to be tilled, planted
and crops harvested year round. They also had a few dairy cows, some mules and
two horses to pull the loaded-down wagons to market. In 1830, when Samuel was
the tender age of twenty, he wanted desperately to leave farm life behind and
experience the wilds of the western United States as recorded by the likes of
Lewis and Clark and the accounts of his ancestors upon arriving to the New
World.
His trek across the southern US
brought hardship and happiness. Now grown weary of the deserts, threats and
close calls with savage tribes and extreme heat of the west, Samuel returned
home to Texas and signed up with the Texas Rangers in early spring, 1833. He
was sent on numerous missions across the great state to hunt down fugitives and
protect Texan settlers from attacks by the savages. While stationed in Presidio,
he befriended Nora Belle Johnson, the young daughter of a local rancher. They
were married in the fall in 1834 and were with child soon after. Samuel and
Nora made their home in Presidio despite the fact that Western Texas is a
volatile and dangerous region. The following year, their first son was born. It
was a hot summer night when Thomas Henry was brought into the world. He had the
bluest of eyes, indicative of his parent’s European ancestry. 1835 was the year
the Texas Rangers were formally constituted and a small group of fifty-six was
sent to battle the Cherokee and Comanche tribes partly because of their support
of the Mexicans in a recent rebellion. Samuel had shown great bravery and
leadership in the many skirmishes with the Indians and quickly rose to the rank
of Lieutenant. The entire contingent of the Rangers fought the tribes until the
annexation of Texas in 1846.
The annexation was the tipping point
for the Mexican government. They consider Texas their property even though the
Republic had won their independence and thanks to Sam Houston and his constituents
in Congress, Texas was annexed by the United States on December 29, 1845. By
this time, Samuel and Nora had another child named James Henry. While his
growing family remained in Presidio, Samuel was called up to join the 1st
Texas Mounted Rifles under command of Colonel John C. Hays of the United States
Volunteers. His division was nicknamed the “Texas Division” by the newly
appointed governor, James Pinckney Henderson. Major General Zachary Taylor
mustered up 3500 Americans to set up operations on the Nueces River in order to
prevent and counter a Mexican invasion. They waited and anticipated an attack
but it never came. In November of 1845, President Polk ordered the men to move
to the Rio Grande valley and establish “Fort Texas” in defiance of Mexican
claims that all land north of the Nueces is their property. Conflict began on
April 26th, 1846 when a 2000 Mexican Cavalry detachment attacked a
70 man patrol, killing 16 and capturing 49. The patrol was sent to determine if
the Mexicans were planning an attack on Fort Texas.
Two and a half months later, war was
officially declared on Mexico and Samuel was promoted to captain. Oftentimes,
Texas Rangers were required to supply their own weapons but Samuel was given
cavalryman’s saber and the brand new Colt revolver to replace the old Flintlock
he bought with his meager wages. He did carry a standard issue Springfield 1822
Musket into each skirmish. His first call into battle came in September when
General Taylor pushed his forces further into Mexico to the city of Monterrey. Early
that morning, Samuel donned his thick leather chaps, boots, buckskin shirt,
sombrero and his weaponry. He mounted his horse and the Texas Rangers launched an
assault on two fortified hills in the city. It lasted three days and nights and
earned the Rangers the moniker, “Los Tejanos Diablos” for their ferocity in
battle. The offensives over the next year took its toll on a now thirty-seven
year old Samuel. Among the many American and Mexican casualties, there were
many who perished from diseases such as yellow fever, dysentery and typhoid. Samuel
contracted dysentery before the war’s end in August, 1847. Luckily, he survived
to return home to his family in Presidio. The war now over, Captain Samuel
Henry of the Texas Rangers returns to his ‘available when needed and inactive
when not needed’ life.
©Ashley Yarbrough 12/2012
"A Texas Hunt"
As daylight fades, the hunt has begun
Swatting mosquitos as I walk through the tall weeds and grass
I have a knapsack on my back and in my hand, a gun
Not just any gun, a .44 Caliber 1866 Winchester with shiny brass
I spot my prey a few hundred yards away grazing near a creek
There’s not much light left to close the distance
I only have the time to hunt once every other week
Lightly I step towards my target, this hunt requires much persistence
Now prone on a hill, I draw a bead on my stag
I watch him take a few steps into the creek to drink
The meat would be great for jerky but the trophy is to brag
Holding my breath, I squeeze the trigger and the stag’s silhouette suddenly shrinks
©Ashley Yarbrough 12/2012
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