Greater Kentucky

The same folks live along
The Green River and
The southern counties of
Illinois, Indiana and Ohio,
They moved west across
The Appalachian passes
And down the Ohio River
Naming creek after creek
Muddy, Sulphur and such.
The trees are the same,
The critters and crops
All the same corn,
The coal mines never far away.
Soft cheesecake and pork BBQ,
The food is the same and
The hearts and souls of
The folks are a mix of
Scots-Irish, Scots, English
And German all mixed
With a bit of Cherokee and
Others who came after.
The weather freezes winters,
The summers are so hot snd
Muggy the birds cry
In the trees at night.
Folks are God-fearing and
Though dour and taciturn
Have a wild streak that
Flashes out like musket fire.
Southerners in Ohio were
Called Buckeyes,
In southern Indiana they
Were called Hoosiers,
In southern Illinois Suckers
As it flooded so much folks
Were said to be born
With suckers on
Their fingers and toes to
Hang onto the trees.
Salukis at SIU seem
A better choice today.
These people welcomed
Me as a boy and made
Me one of them.
Though cut off from
Kentucky by the Ohio,
Their way of life
As southerners
Was never far
From the Green
River country.