Will and Bill

Will was a man in my hometown that did yard work for my Dad. One day, as she often did, Mom fixed Will his lunch so that he could eat under his favorite shade tree in our yard.  I always wanted to be right there with him so that we could talk.  The day that this picture was taken (with an old Brownie camera); Mamma had brought my lunch outside only to find that Will had already shared his lunch with me.  I ended up with a photo and a song that means a great deal to me. Will and I were completely different; he was old – I was young.  He was black – I was white.  But we had a true friendship, and I was very sad when he passed away.  While looking at the photo one day, I wrote Will and Bill in one sitting, as a story about the way our friendship happened.  I was so glad to have him as a friend – and I was a child within his eyes.