I’ll tell you how to get there

I’ll tell you how to get there, how to —
turn at the Cole Camp junction
and pass rolling wheat fields
nursing calves and their mamas.
 
How to look up at the blue expansive sky
sun in your eyes, quiet
except for the rustle of grass and bird song
the hawk perched on a hay bale.
 
How to drive four miles and enter town
see the welcome sign to your left
banners of events and fairs
“Cole Camp Fair September 7, 8, 9”
markers to celebrate rural life
pass the library and Dollar General
greet the neighbor mowing her lawn
and see the lake visitors
feasting on ice cream and burgers at the Dairy Bar.
 
I’ll tell you how to get there, how to —
drive slow and watch for kids on bikes
the mothers and their strollers
the golf carts cruising up and down.
 
I’ll tell you how to get there, how to —
wave to oncoming cars
with a nod of the head
the acknowledgment that you’re both here
and “I see you.”
 
How to stop at the 4-Way
letting the ladies who lunch
cross with their shopping bags
the bank workers loaded with take-out food.
 
I’ll tell you how to get there, how to —
slow down, relish the journey
and delight in being where you are
Cole Camp, Missouri.
 
*Based on a prompt from Rachel Marie Kang in Let There Be Art.

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