Poetry Friday: Hello, I'm Johnny Cash

Watch for this beauty, lovingly created to honor Johnny Cash. G. Neri's free verse pairs beautifully with A.G. Ford's paintings. Here's an excerpt for Poetry Friday. Don't you hear Johnny's voice?

J.R. didn't know
what to do,
so he just started singing
the spirituals from
Jack's funeral,
and Momma
stopped crying
to listen.
J.R. kept singing
all afternoon,
letting his pain
pour out through
his high strong voice,
which carried for miles
across the fields
to the heavens above.

Hello, I'm Johnny Cash
by G. Neri
illustrated by A. G. Ford
Candlwick Press, 2014