Missouri Born - Southern Bred

The southern girl is a state of mind, not always born and bred.
Her history and southern roots are deep inside her head.
She may be from Missouri, but her mama taught her well.
She felt that Mason-Dixon Line; she’s a genuine southern belle
When she was just a little girl, “up north” was a foreign place
And Yankee was the boogie man; a name that meant disgrace.
She’ll call her father “Daddy” until the day she dies.
You’ll hear “yes Sir” and “no, Ma’am”.
She makes grits and pe-can pies.
She fixes cornbread dressin’ without a recipe
“You taste it and you mix it ‘til it’s the right consistency”.
She was taught to be a lady and mind her manners too.
Her southern hospitality will always welcome you.
She knows when a thing is tacky; to be common is a vice.
The superlative is “darlin’”; beware of “idn’t that nice?”.
A southern girl seems fragile, but covers don’t make books.
She has iron will and nerves of steel…much stronger than she looks.
She learned “the south will rise again", but she shines a better light.
She’ll cherish the good, discard the bad; know who, how, when to fight.
November 19, 1983
For my mama.