Hillbilly by Choice

I've been to the monster cities,
And lived in the bustling towns,
I've hob nobbed with the very rich
In places of renown.

I've lived among the poor folk too,
Among the working class.
And I've tried apartment living,
No yard, no trees, no grass.

Some people love the city life,
The noise, the rush, the malls.
But that's just not my cup of tea,
And I heard the nature call.

I dislike the traffic and the crowds,
The 'hurry up and wait',
And trying to plan around the folks
Who are always running late.

I've worked hard and I've played hard,
I have lived a busy life.
Now I've found a place where I can dwell
Far away from the stress and strife.

There is no smog where I chose to live,
The air is pure and clean.
The water contains no chemicals,
And the trees are always green.

When I look out my windows,
It's not city life I see.
I look upon the wildlife,
On the mountains and the trees.

The dawnings and the sunsets,
And the star filled sky at night,
Are joys that you will rarely see
From among the city lights.

I won't tell you that it's easy,
In fact, it's sometimes rough.
There's wood to cut and snow to plow,
And the winters can be tough.

To me though, it's all worth it,
And here's where I will stay.
I have as much of the world as I want,
Yet I don't have to live in the fray.

Though you may think that I'm a hick,
Come on, give me a voice...
Hick, I'm not, but don't you see?
I'm a hillbilly by choice.

by Mary Yetter