To Hope (POW-sho)

 Shona* knew it'd be no pushover job, to convince her audience they didn't have to endure shotgun weddings, because ‘Pappy' thought they'd been dishonored. One time, Shona had been in these young folk's shoes, on the threshold of a bleak future.

 Lucky for her, a fresh-faced college kid had taken a crapshooters' chance. Shona had been shocked! Until then, she'd never been shown another way.

 Fascinated, Shona moved to the city, learning and doing everything that was decent and law-abiding. She'd worked in bookshops, where she'd earned the nickname Grasshopper; in bakeshops, making the best shoofly pies, and other jobs as well.

 Shona guessed one thing surprised her most. That was the sign shopkeepers posted, warning shoplifters against crime. Often, she'd watched gumshoes* trying to catch dishonest shoppers. Back home, Shona knew, anyone caught stealing would be shot. Everyone knew their neighbors had guns. Each could be classified as a sharpshooter, being able to shoot the wings off of a fly at a hundred yards. Her brothers were the best of the best, though. She missed their shouts of banter, as they shouldered their way through the crowd at the annual shooting match. Shonas' pappy would be there selling peashooters, as Mammy shoved shortbread cakes in everyone's hands for whatever change she could get. Mammy knew they were all the same as she was; poor, but most were kinfolk, and proud.

 That was what had brought Shona home. The pride of heritage might have some shortfalls, but Shona would always be one of them.

 Gershom* interrupted her thoughts. "Get your running shoes on, girl, and make sure you tie the shoestrings up real tight. I don't want you to get shot down by shop talk, before you even get to make the presentation."

 She felt flashover passion as their eyes met. She was glad Gershom had shown her an option to the showdown her Pappy was hell-bent on having. Eventually, she and Gershom had married, and Shona could see he'd taken her child as his own. Now, on the shore of her own happiness, she'd returned, determined to shower these young folk with knowledge. Shona took a deep breath and stepped forward.

 Then, she realized she'd been as a shofar, rallying not only the young but elders as well, to making educated decisions. Shonas' Mammy, far from being a modern clotheshorse, flashed a tired smile to Gershom, as a sign of acceptance. Being the wife of a shoat farmer, and mother to sixteen kids had taken it's toil. Despair had wrought a new offshoot; hope.    ~

Clotheshorse- somebody who dresses fashionably

Greshom - a Biblical name meaning: A stranger here

Gumshoe- Slang An investigator, especially a detective

Shoat- A young hog.

Shona \sh(o)-na\ is of Shona \sh(o)-na\ is of Irish and Gaelic origin. Variant of Joan; feminine form of John.