my south

Leanne: You may have read this before; it's almost 3 years old. I had it posted on pathetic for a while, but I think that's it.

The "post-it" thing is something the editor did when I pasted it, I can't take credit for that, except to say I was too lazy to change it.

While I didn't intend to bring "Country Roads" to mind, I don't have a problem with the allusion, since Mr. Denver and I are essentially talking about the same thing.

Finally, the "hesitation" you sensedmade me laugh: it's more likely that you heard me consciously slow my reading and then forget. That, or frustration with having to read it a dozen times before I could get the mic to cooperate.

Alcuin: When you figure out how my line breaks work let me know. Most of the time I can't really give a "why" for them, besides the fact that they just feel right to me.

As for the "cultural ethos" you mention, that is so much of what this piece is about, but maybe not in the way you think: I am a "northerner" by birth, but a southerner by choice, I guess. I love my home in PA, but I have never been happier or felt more at home than I am now in the Carolinas. But in a round about way, you're right on target about Tennessee: a big chunk of my ancestry lived there (and lots of my distant cousins still do)!

Thank you to you both for your feedback and kind words!