Town Sounds by Elizabeth Shenk

Town Sounds

Every time I drive through a small town,

I think of my mother –

who would slow the station wagon to a crawl

for every oak-shrouded Main Street or

ivy-laced library or humble post office –

for even the most paltry splatter

of sleepy houses

along the highway.

Rolling down the window,

calling to her complacent teens

in the backseat,

“Listen to the town sounds.”

Which was her way of saying,

Daughters,

wherever you find yourself

in this life,

open yourselves

to it.

The Prairie

Look how the land slopes downward,

The history of water preserved on the hills.

See the wind as it whips through the grasses.

Feel how it yearns to spark fire

through every strand

of your willing hair.

Robins

Is there anything more familiar

to a young girl

in a small town

than waking up to bird song?

In the room at the top of the stairs,

which she shares with her sister,

she pushes her bed up close to the window

and no matter the season, cracks it open

to feel the breeze.

Even when her father closes it

after he kisses her goodnight,

to keep his daughters warm

while they sleep,

she waits until he leaves

and opens it again

just to hear robins

in the morning.

Kid Smile

I love the way joy looks

when it hides behind the corners

of your mouth.

The way you’re cupping your smile

like a lightning bug trapped under your hands.

I can still see your happiness flicker,

you know,

I can still see it dance.

Art by JD Moffitt