The Late Years Five

Our coal ash victory party, when Judge Fox ruled for us.

Note: John Cross is on the right, next to last at the end of the table. 

***
The Late Years Five  December 2, 2018
For John Cross

Last night I couldn’t sleep after 1:30 so I got up.
John Cross was on my mind. I was remembering
all the ways he had helped me and our coal ash 
group. Getting the fish when we had a fish fry
to help pay the lawyer, giving me rides when we
met with the E-Lee group. He knew how to reach 
people about our use of the Liberty Chapel Annex.
He always came to our meetings on the first
Friday of the month, and he would call Bud
to unlock the annex for us. He was there at our
protests. Back in 2015, he joined with some E-Lee
people to carry into the hearing a make-believe
coffin to demonstrate the effects of coal ash in
our air, in our water. He came to court when they
tried our case. He drove to Raleigh when we met
with Rev. Barber on the steps of the Legislature
about the poisons in coal ash. I remember when 
Margaret Pollard introduced “my cousin” to me. 
Others of our members as the years passed, lost 
faith that we could win, but not John. He stayed
the course. He’d talk about his busy schedule. 
He went to many meetings: a veterans’ group 
and was president of our Democratic precinct. 
He was always a delegate to the county Democratic 
meeting in the spring and he’d work at the polling
place during elections. He was always there when
he was needed. He fixed a loose board on my
back porch. The day I fell down crossing our 
Moncure-Pittsboro Road because of a speeding 
car, he and his brother Wayne came to check 
on me. John, John, how will we do without you?