In the last two weeks, I took two short trips, one east and one west of home, to get my big city fixes. Driving through the rural landscape that can be found in large parts of this country, I always feel a combination of melancholy at the widespread, rundown state of affairs and nostalgia for the beauty interspersed and the stories hidden beneath.
I then found this short documentary video, Howard's Farm, by Ivan Cash on an 86-year old farmer in my home state that speaks directly to my feelings. Howard as well as farms and small towns and open spaces right off the interstate inspired this late autumn poem:
Rural Landscape
Turn the GPS off or
Drop the directions onto the passenger seat
Sip your coffee while it is hot
Crack the window and listen to the classics down low or
Belt it out with a favorite, evoking memories of youth
Allow the endless rows of telephone poles to hypnotize
Marvel at the labor that planted them like breadcrumbs
Count the birds on the wire that watch you pass
Remember how far you once stretched the telephone cord to
Reach the bathroom, shut the door, and plan adolescent escapades
Follow a wood fence or wall of stones that has seen better days
Drive back roads that meander without sign or marker
Curve around the bend and hug the hills, cross the tracks
Embrace the quilted fields and furrowed rows now fallow
Recall how mud and dirt were once your constant companions
Envy the heavy coats of sheep undeterred in the bone chilling cold
Appreciate the rusted Deeres, the forgotten bales of hay, the hens free to roam
Choose a favorite among the many dilapidated barns washed a dingy gray
Ache as if you were the weathered man in the rocker on the porch
Know he could have been your grandfather once, his memories your harvest
***
Finally, I want to share a quick Christmas craft I enjoy each year. I save last year's holiday cards and use them to make gift tags. So easy. I give sets of them as gifts and use them to wrap my own presents as well. I think this handmade, personal touch not only adds to my enjoyment of giving but also reflects who I am as the giver.
