The wood resonates with children\u2019s voices.
\nA one room school,
\na woman reciting the text
\nfrom a McGuffey Reader.
\nI smell the aroma of corn,
\nthe linen of clothes,
\nsee the light fall from the wall
\non children\u2019s faces,
\nthe texture of wax and sweat.
\nThey still live here,
\nat their desks carving initials,
\nthe boys and girls of Lyme Village.<\/p>\n
Mary and I go to a cobbler\u2019s shop.
\nThe old tools are gray,
\nscratched with use.
\nIt is dark inside with the smell
\nof leather, simple boots,
\na few fancy shoes for the ladies.
\nThe lathe with its steel bristles
\nis against the wall.
\nHow little the feet were
\nthat wore these crafted coverings.<\/p>\n
Ancestors with simple diets,
\nhard work,
\nlong hours of labor in the fields.
\nMy hands would belong to a child,
\nwithout callous,
\nuninjured by the plow or ax.
\nThey lived together,
\nthe burden of their lives shared equally.
\nLiving with the candles of evening,
\nthe smell of manure, broths,
\nvats of butter, dough, sauerkraut.<\/p>\n
There was a post office,
\na great house for the leading family.
\nCurved arches of red mahogany,
\nhigh, everlasting ceilings with plaster relief,
\nshuttered windows for warmth in winter,
\ncoolness in summer,
\nand open to the lake coming inland
\nin spring.
\nI felt their proud souls around me.
\nLife was good,
\nfull of purpose,
\nfestivals,
\nwalks in the moonlight
\nsurrounded by fireflies.<\/p>\n
Lives of simple joys,
\nfaith,
\nand laughter.
\nI felt so close,
\nso strange,
\nlooking about me.
\nI was not arrogant with my knowledge
\nof science, technology.
\nEntering their shops, school, cabins,
\nI felt the humility of one
\nwho barely knows
\nhow they lived with a knowledge
\nof stars, I could not imagine,
\nor lives lived one day at a time
\nwith courage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The wood resonates with children\u2019s voices. A one room school, a woman reciting the text from a McGuffey Reader. I smell the aroma of corn,…<\/p>\n