Insurance Man 1946

Silas, you might not be here come April.
Ain’t none of us ever promised tomorrow.
If you died right sudden, you’d need a will.
That way you control who gets your nickel
when you gone. Get your ducks in a row,
Silas. You might not be here come April.
Yeah, your policy’s up-to-date and we’ll
pay, say, if you lose an arm at the elbow
at the mill, but if you die, you’ll need a will.
Double pay for accidental deaths? We still
have you down, your wife won’t need to borrow.
Silas, you might not be here come April.
Being alive is enough to get you killed.
Did you hear about them folks up in Monroe?
If they hang you from a tree, you’ll need a will.
Your folks won’t have to worry about a meal
with this insurance when that day of sorrow
comes. Silas, you might not be here come April.
If you died right sudden, you’d need a will.

Sean Hill
“Insurance Man 1946” appears in Blood Ties & Brown Liquor (University of Georgia Press, 2008).