“I AM THE SOUTH”

I’m a culture of people established and confirmed in strength; a land of hills and valleys, bayous, gulf streams and blue skies, I’m like no other.  I am the South.

See my Spanish moss swaying in the breeze from timeless oak trees, reflections bouncing off black bayou waters; you’ll not notice where the sky ends or the earth begins.

I went to war and found compassion; weeping for fifty thousand spirits that lie still on grassy fields where a hundred thousand brothers stood opposed; a battle of civil rights we would fight and still fight for a century more; ‘til the back bone of segregation had broken.

You’ll sit on my white sand beaches and watch the sun melt into the gulf; as the moon rises and bashfully hides his face behind a cloud, you may hear a whippoorwill singing the blues or listen to a train whining low near midnight, perhaps see a fallen star light up my dark purple skies.

And when you fall for me I’ll blush in hues of red, orange, yellow, and plum. Rome jealous of my coliseums known as Bryant-Denny, Swamp, and Death Valley; where gladiators’ roll in on a Crimson Tide, greeted by Seminoles, Tigers, and Volunteers. Under blue skies these warriors step onto green fields, equal; to be judged only by their character; where victory and loss are received with a handshake and smile.

I roll with thunder of a thousand horses; when younger my path was red stone carving through blue-ridge Mountains as blue grass bent in my breeze. Today I roll across earth black as coal through towns called Charlotte, Darlington, Talladega; at paces that step us back to a childhood dream.

I’m a muse; heard in music halls, street corners, and churches; called country, gospel, blues, and jazz. You’ll listen to the tenor in my voice as I tell stories of journeys old and young from cities and towns without pride or prejudice.  It’s an ensemble you welcome to a marriage; hear in a childs laughter; recording moments in time. 

I’ve risen from the ashes like a Phoenix, embracing a steadfast love for our beliefs, way of life, and declaration of who we are; I am the South. 

VinceS