Summer 1935, Summary

The Dream: In this poem, Billie Jo talks to her piano as if it is her mother. She loves her piano because it comforts her and accepts her.

Midnight Truth: Billie Jo relates the bitterness she feels over her Ma's death, her father's indifference and the dust. She acknowledges that her mother and she could have loved each other better. She talks about how alone she feels even in the presence of her father. She thinks the pond he is digging is really his own grave. She will leave him before he leaves her.

Out of the Dust: Billie Jo sneaks out in the middle of the night with a little money and a little food. She leaves her father's house and hops a train going west, out of the dust.

Gone West: Billie Jo has been on the train for two days...