A short story by Rebecca G K vErdè

There once was an old Black woman, way down in the South, just before the Civil War. This woman was out in the field one day, ploughing away, when she had a Hot attack and died.

The neighbors found her several days later, with her Eye to the Sky, just lookin’ up so peaceful, and in one of her pockets they found  this note:

Two will be ploughing.
The one will be taken,
the Other will be left.
O Lordy,
O Lordy .. please make that be me:
the one who was ploughing
and then was taken
to Live with You, Lord
for all of the Time.

(Slight pause for breath)

Folks will never know, I guess, whether that Hot attack took her of its own idea, or whether that was the Lord a-making that be her .. the one who was ploughing
and then was taken to live with the Lord
for all of the time.

(Slight breath)

For all of the time.