Kansas

"I"m going to Wichita, far from this Opera forevermore. I'm gonna work the straw, make the sweat drip out of every pore" - Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes

Rolling hills is such a cliche, yet there are no other words for the particular ordinary beauty of those prairies. 

Wind and magic breath the only life into them.

Small town toughness hiding joy from the hard wind of earning a living.

I'm in Wichita and the sky bleeds gray while the people smile, wondering why I'm here.

Reviews

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

A mild form of hitting exuberance and talented wording, you always seem to hit your target full in the chest darling, well done, good read.

[Mark]

I'm glad to see that I hit what I aim for Thomas! Thank you :)

[Pryde Foltz]

Small town toughness hiding joy from the hard wind of earning a living.

I love a poem that combine realism with symbolic imagery. Awesome.

[Mark]

Thank you, for me it's hard to convey what I feel about small towns without seeming condescending. I grew up in them, and love them, but am often frustrated by the people living in them.

[Pryde Foltz]

The key is to emphasize which the line I hi-lighted does brilliantly.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

And with any luck you will bump into Dorothy and the gang too. This Paints a rather dramatic and grey picture of Wichita. The final line is so descriptive and gives a sense of a place cut off from modern day life.

[Mark]

I suppose in this age, no town is truly cut off from the world, yet there is always this sense of 'country' in towns like this.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Long may it remain that way Mark. Bet it has a genuine American diner?

[Mark]

Actually, those are few and far between these days. There's a Red Lobster next door to the Days Inn I'm staying at. Corporate America is nearly complete in it's saturation. I always search for local restaurants wherever I go, but don't often find one.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

It is such a shame.

[Jack...]

Very cool Jaco...oops, I mean Mark. All kidding aside, this is very nicely penned. You have written us a post card of where you are at the moment and that is so cool.

[Mark]

LOL Jack, thank you for reading :)