Long-Haired Mare: Daughter WRites Down what her mother used to Say

1. Eat. You’re a grey dress of bones.
2. You with that hatchet wound between your legs. I’d sew yours up if I could.
3. Talk about the nice things. Don’t talk about the bad things. Everyone's nice, everyone's happy. Tell them you play tin-can-alley. Well, it ain’t a lie! Tell them about the tree taps for maple syrup. Folks that don’t come from here find that interesting. They think it's a miracle. They don’t know where things come from. They eat eggs, but they never seen a chicken’s ass swell up red. But don’t talk about that. Talk about the great big musky fish we fry up. Or the walleye fish. The gold scales. Talk about that.
4. Remember you ask anyone for anything, you’re asking for shame.
5. He’s so rich, he spends it on silver buttons. 
6. Once you got yourself a fire, most of the day’s battle is over.
7. When I don’t got something is when I want it the most. Even if when I had it, I hated it.
8. You ought to have yourself a good time before you be put to work the rest of your life.
9. Sleep is the only come-easy thing in this whole world.
10. My little doe. Don’t ever leave my lap.