Home Town
by William Stafford
Peace on my little town, a speck in the safe,
comforting, impersonal immensity of {12 miles from} Kansas.
Benevolence like a gentle haze on its courthouse
(the model of Greek pillars to me)
on its quiet little bombshell of a library,
on its continuous, hidden, efficient sewer system.
Sharp, amazed, steadfast regard on its more upright citizenry,
my nosy, incredible, delicious neighbors.
Haunting invasion of a train whistle to my friends,
moon-gilding, regular breaths of the old memories to them—
the old whispers, old attempts, old beauties, ever new.
Peace on my little town, haze-blessed, sun-friended,
dreaming sleepy days under the world-champion sky.
I'll miss going home this summer...but first-home will just have to wait there in the midst of the wheat fields and under the blue, blue sky (my photo doesn't do the sky justice) while I fully settle back into now-home and give myself these weeks devoid of commitments so I can unravel and relax into ME.
**Edited to add, read this article: The Busy Trap. Wisdom: "...the best investment of my limited time on earth was to spend it with people I love." and "Life is too short to be busy."
**Edited to add, read this article: The Busy Trap. Wisdom: "...the best investment of my limited time on earth was to spend it with people I love." and "Life is too short to be busy."
Diane has the Poetry Friday Roundup this week at Random Noodling.
