What This Town Offers

A window in time past,
reveals a small town caste.
Savings bank, real estate,
     corner cafe, "the common"
where benches wait.

Two churches in the town,
one rings the hours of the day.
The other it's members,
     to come this way.
On Sunday when both doors,
     open to pray.

Flower shop, Economy Store,
     where a child could wish,
for a ten cent toy and more.
Paint by numbers, crayons and glue,
     gave a little person much to do.

A community pool,
where summers were spent.
A winter skating rink,
where facilities were lent.

A military college places,
this town on the map,
and a new super highway,
bridges the gap.

One pharmacy, now expands to three,
taking care of illnesses from which
     no one is free.
Yet healthy lives are lived here long,
with little change to march along.

The young go away and wish they had not,
for what this town offers cannot be bought.
Return trips find a "Brigadoon" life remains,
in a town that knows nor wants little change.

Ecclesiastes 3:11  He has made everything in
its time.  He has also set eternity in the human
heart; yet no one can fathom what God has
done from beginning to end.

Susan Hebert Ajaz
copyright 1997
poetrypublisher.com/sajaz