The Ocoee River in Tennessee is 93 miles of Cherokee terrain…until the Europeans claimed jurisdiction. The Cherokees trudged the Trail of Tears after the Indian Removal Act of 1830. I find this bit of information significant, since both of my great grandmothers were full blooded Cherokee.

One time my sister, Heather, who lives in Newport, TN, opened her deep freezer on the front porch,  and out popped a full sized bear. She said, “That’s a bear. He’s dead.”

Across the Ocoee

Over that hill are four more hills
a little dirt and cold water
perfect to grow a rose garden
from a few clippings that I brought

the rose is decked in beauty
the rose it smells so pretty
like a tent whose ropes are taut
whose stakes are firmly fixed
I will dig it up and rejoice
I will dig it up and lament

I will dig it up and plant myself
across the Ocoee
yes, I will
trim the waterfront and plant myself
across the Ocoee
~ Stacy Sweeney