The Bookmobile for People Down on Baker’s Branch
(folk lore from Blue Licks, March 1, ‘97)

Does anyone still remember
long-legged Cecile driving out

from Limestone?  The three little Stitt
kids in raincoats, old lady Martin

looking for her “Simple Jess.”
Does anyone beleive

the sky turned to river and
made a fish of Tomas Beck

who never read the alphabet
but liked to read Cecile,

you cannot escape the fact
that Tomas got doubtful Cecile

right where he wanted:
parked up under the covered 

bridge, dry as kindling twigs.
The kids got their Seuss, Ms. Stitt

her “Tales from the Marrying Stone”,
still the drench came on and brought

the water to the bottom of the bridge
so they couldn’t see the difference 

of the river and the land, when
a pause in the deluge brought

Reverend Estep down in his Ford 
for a special order parchment

of Luther and his friends,
the kids and Ms. Stitt piled in the back

and rode to Bucktown to warm
their feet at the country store.

It may have been predestination 
or just everything rising that made it happen

but in that mobile boxcar of books
Tomas was in the driver’s seat

not going anywhere, lost in
the sea of Cecile’s brimming eyes

when a cloud burst once more
let loose a torrent like God’s

tears coming down for our sins.
Does anyone still remember

how that old bookmobile rose
like Noah’s ark and floated

in the Licking, bobbing around
the floatsom to land safely

in the flooded bottoms along
Piqua Flats?  Five miles in all,

Reverend called it a flat-out miracle.
But the real miracle was how

long-legged Cecile of Limestone
pulled Tomas from the sludge

and piggy-backed him out
all the way to the Brumagen place.