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My Hometown

Small, cut in half by Route Sixty-Six,
with farms and ranches scattered around.
Theaters, cafes, motels, your picks
Saturdays, everyone came to town.

What fun walking down crowded Main Street.
giving a farm boy a furtive glance.
Then movies, popcorn, something sweet
to watch Fred and Ginger glide and dance.

The tranquil aura of peacefulness,
of hometown, friends, and a picture show.
We didn't think of days that would pass
and our small town we would soon outgrow.

One day, we all left to find our dreams,
farms dried up with recurring drought.
Town forgotten in I-Forty's schemes,
the town withers within and without.

Our last reunion, old times we share,
sunshine, laughter, tears we can still find
in boarded stores, steets beyond repair
in our small hometown we left behind.

Copyright © Ann Peck | Year Posted 2023

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Sam Kauffman Date: 3/16/2023 10:52:00 AM This so reminds me of my childhood, but not in a small town but rather in a big city. But your point is so well taken that we leave behind the "small town" of our youth, held in time, only to return to a different place in a different time. Wonderfully crafted. Congratulations on your win Ann. Blessings. Thank you for the joy! Login to Reply Ann Peck Date: 3/20/2023 9:16:00 AM Thank you so much, Sam, for your thoughtful comments! It's a sad story in many farm towns. It's true that we can't go home again.

Gary Radice Date: 3/15/2023 8:16:00 AM That's so poignant Ann. Reading this made me think of the early '70s film " The Last Picture Show" and particularly the last scene in the film. Themes such as memories, "progress" and changing with the times are themes I love to explore in my own writings and love to read about in others' work. Great stuff! Cheers - Gary Login to Reply Ann Peck Date: 3/15/2023 8:36:00 AM Thanks so much, Gary. Yes, I thought of "The Last Picture Show"--so apt for my hometown. I don't go there anymore. It's bittersweet now.

Paula Goldsmith Date: 3/14/2023 3:09:00 PM "MY HOMETOWN" is a lovely write. Sounds like a great place to live. You were very lucky. Have a blessed day............ Login to Reply Ann Peck Date: 3/15/2023 8:38:00 AM Thanks, Paula. It was a great place to live once, but no longer.

Sotto Poet Date: 3/14/2023 5:37:00 AM Lovely and so well-penned poem, ANN. Congratulations on your contest win. Login to Reply Ann Peck Date: 3/15/2023 8:41:00 AM Thanks for your comments, Lasaad.

Malabika Ray Choudhury Date: 3/13/2023 8:44:00 AM So nostalgic, Dear Ann - picture of a cozy little town, tinged with sadness about the disappearing rustic beauty - your poem reminds me of a little village I lived myself in childhood, and could never erase from my mind! Thank you, Dear Friend, for visiting my page - truly appreciate. Login to Reply Ann Peck Date: 3/13/2023 9:31:00 AM I think those memories will never disappear, and the wish they could still be true. Thank you so much, dear Mala!

Anne E Sangster - K Date: 3/13/2023 6:22:00 AM Both beautiful and sad Ann. If only we could turn back time... Hugs ~ Anne :-) Login to Reply Ann Peck Date: 3/13/2023 9:41:00 AM If only we could turn back time lingering in memories. Thanks so much for your comments, Anne.

Sotto Poet Date: 3/13/2023 5:22:00 AM Lovely evocative poetry, Ann. The farming community and the simpler lifestyle are now only remembrances of the past. Login to Reply Ann Peck Date: 3/13/2023 9:35:00 AM Yes, and it's just too sad. The simple life has disappeared. Thanks so much for your comments, Lasaad.

Valsa George Date: 3/12/2023 10:33:00 PM When we return to our home town after years, we sadly notice that it has changed beyond recognition . The lush green fams have dried up and in the place of a serene town, a bustling city has come up. This is exactly how I feel when I visit my home town. Enjoyed your poem much Ann. Login to Reply Ann Peck Date: 3/13/2023 9:27:00 AM At least your hometown managed to survive, though changed. Life goes on, but we want some things to stay the same. Thanks so much, Valsa.

Gershon Wolf Date: 3/12/2023 9:29:00 PM Hurts to read this eloquently penned tribute to towns of our past. They live on in our memories, though, thanks to poets like you, Ann. :) gw Login to Reply Ann Peck Date: 3/13/2023 9:44:00 AM Thanks so much for your lovely comments, Gershon. It's too sad and I can't bear to visit now.

Elizabeth Mccann Date: 3/12/2023 3:04:00 PM Oh, Ann, it is so sad. My hometown, too, has descended to shops of candles and vaguely Oriental scarves. Patchouli. Elizabeth Login to Reply Ann Peck Date: 3/12/2023 6:26:00 PM It is sad, Elizabeth. The go-getters grew old and their children left for greener pastures. I can't bear to go there anymore. Thanks for your understanding.

Daniel Turner Date: 3/12/2023 11:01:00 AM Great nostalgic poem, Ann. The small town and the way of life all disappeared into memories. Login to Reply Ann Peck Date: 3/12/2023 11:18:00 AM Thanks so much, Daniel! It's sad to see a town die.