73 Grit
1
There is a certain span of character,
Where courage and perseverance fit,
Along with steadfast determination,
And they call this factor grit.
2
In the spring of 1958,
Leaving California for our new nest,
Mom would leave for Colorado with a trailer,
Dad would follow in a week with the rest.
3
Mom fully loaded with three kids and a dog,
Pulling a rickety second-hand trailer.
Mom would drive alone a thousand miles,
A plan only grit would favor,
4
The trailer was filled with our stuff,
Dad’s truck would bring the rest later,
Mom fired up that 55 Ford,
Six cylinders and water for the radiator.
5
As Dad tightened up the final straps,
Mom had one more instructive notion,
She had never pulled a trailer before,
She then put the car into motion.
6
That Ford lumbered slowly onto 66,
With horsepower approaching feeble,
But I never saw any concern on Mom’s face,
Going east toward Barstow and Needles,
7
A thousand miles, all non-stop,
With three kids and a dog alone,
Route 66, Flagstaff, then Gallup,
Sixty years before we had cell phones.