to make a town

it takes several lifetimes to make a town -

many hands, earnest sweat, and

unflinching cycles of flood, fire, and famine

through measured seasons of hope and despair

in cruel and benevolent equipoise

it takes pioneers to inhabit a town –

pragmatic, tireless adamants

repelled by luxury,

sweeping grit out of rough-hewn corners

to coax a feeling of home

from never-wasted smidgeons and bits

sewn into a rustic patchwork of faith

it takes knowing seers to shape a town –

to temper prosperity with restraint,

to build what is needed

instead of what boasts

it takes careful stewards to keep a town –

preserving rituals, upholding traditions,

passing down memories, and

most of all –

most

of

all …

holding on.

Rich Follett, October 2018