I still remember until this day,

Walking on stubble in fields of hay,

And finding that I had little trouble,

Once I mastered the art of bending the stubble.

It’s sort of a shuffle – but slow –

Press forward, then down – and on you go.

It’s a bit like walking the aisle, you see,

Arm in arm with your daughter – a bride to be.

Hesitate – then step – then go on with no trouble,

For you remember that day –

Long ago in the hay –

When you mastered the art of bending the stubble!

So – here’s to the boy with calloused feet

Obtained, not from walking on sidewalk or street,

But toughened by stubble, in that long ago day,

When he ran through the fields of stubble and hay.

By Richard J. Thayer August 2006