Maybe children played in the yard while Granny tended her flower and vegetable gardens hollering every now and then to Pops out in the garage tinkering with the old truck. Mom hung wash out on the line for that nice fresh outdoor smell. Dad pulls out of the drive headed off for work down at the hardware store. I drove on. Past homes that were hardly more than shacks held together with whatever materials were available.
Life is hard for some, that's a fact.
Yet even in the grasp of poverty, there lie tender touches. A deep purple petunia flowering next to the dilapidated porch, a bunch of brilliant marigolds growing out of an old rusty bucket. Around the bend, an old trailer set way back from the road. Shaded by giant oaks. An old rocking chair on the porch.