A Strange Feeling

I tell you, it was a most memorable day; sad, but one that I will not soon forget. It's a trip that I have longed to take for years. And now, more than 40 years removed, and When I finally arrived, I couldn't believe my eyes. Others had informed me, but seeing was believing. At least I thought so; there was a strange feeling. Where once there were three stores and a Post Office; now there was neither Post office nor a single store. It was late afternoon, and at first, no mortals did I see. I finally saw two vehicles whereupon I stopped a stranger. He had resided there 3 years, and was a stranger and of no assistance to me. And I, a stranger also in my own home town. My first school burned down many years ago. My second school was a church, and I witnessed it being in disrepair. I traversed the grave yard and saw burial sites and tombstones of people I once knew. I walked past the very spot where my childhood friend, James, hit me on the head with a stick while playing cowboys. A short distance away, I turned onto the grounds of what was once my third school which was now being occupied by the State Mental Health Department. These are cherished and treasured moments being absorbed in my latter years, that I am blessed and fortunate to experience. The house of my birth and the houses of my friends were gone. I could barely discern where they once sat. The grounds upon which our homes once sat seems so much smaller now, and the feel of my emotions was a rare one as I tried to, like pieces of a puzzle, mentally place every building of my memory. The playground where we used to play and the flag pole we platted in the month of May were no more. Where my story began; where my memories will never be erased; where the first 17 years of my life were spent, there was now barely a trace. Farm equipment, combines, and other machinery now have replaced the foundation of my home site. Even though informed of the drastic changes, I still experienced loss and a deep sense of voidness. 040122PS