Saturday, April 17, 2010



On a field-road at the outskirts of town a farmer stands surveying his plot. It is a barren place where seed planted in rows laid dormant in the cold earth until decay destroyed them from the inside out. His wife is a laborer at a factory. She performs the same repetitive duties and with good reason believes the week to come will only be a miserable collection of yesterdays. Together they live in a town whose footprint hasn’t changed in twenty years. The streets are dotted with few businesses; their proprietors barely exist. The last fresh face to arrive here is now withered and worn. At night when the air is still and sound carries further than it should, I hear the cry of hope drowning and the empty thud of crumbling dreams.

This is a place that lacks faith, has no hope for tomorrow, and the promise of growth has gone unrealized. Without faith, hope, and growth there is little to separate birth from death.

4 comments:

punatik said...

"She performs the same repetitive duties and with good reason believes the week to come will only be a miserable collection of yesterdays."

I loved the whole piece Dan. I especially enjoyed the above line. It is a sad statement of the 9-5 world. I hope she quits her job and stays home to one day plant the ultimate garden with her husband. For with the harvest will come the Faith , Hope and Growth required to add purpose to life.Then perhaps others will see this grand garden and do the same in their fields. Thereby revitalizing the town.

I also liked the picture very much. I don't see an old barn as a sign of despair and decay, but as a symbol of new opportunity and countless possibilities.

I really admire the diversity of styles and themes in your posts.

How's the weather in your neck of the woods ? Spring sprung yet ?

Dan said...

Thanks, Puna. We just had our old barn taken down and are building a smaller, much more energy efficient home. Most of it was salvaged as "reclaimed lumber". I kept several of the 6X6 timber to incorporate in the new home.
Yes, spring has sprung. Although it's in the middle thirties this morning it has been in the low eighties for highs and high fifties for lows the last couple of weeks.
So you're post really did come from a dream....I wasn't sure.

Jo A. T.B. said...

I like your ending lines Dan! Sums it up well. So many farms are upgrading to keep up with the industry here! Still I see many barns that are decaying off left with memories which dot the horizon leaving one to wonder how long they will be standing there. Almost like the huge crane they kept at the Somerset Crash site here in PA! Moments in time forever etched on the countrysides and farmlands!

anti snore said...

I also liked the picture very much.The last paragraph is good. I especially enjoyed the above line.