Small Town Poems | Examples

In My Small Town

  
     No riots today in my small town
         No protestors or police around
     Everywhere I look, peace and quiet
         On Main Street, three dogs lie down

     Town’s not for sale ~ you cityfolk can’t buy it

Small Town Portraits

Lives of residents collaged
as their portraits hang
from a gallery’s ceiling
and spotlight shine
upon their faces.

They are old
they are young
they are boys and men
they are girls and women

these people who have called
a small Iowa town
their own.

Some have posed
in fields
some by their houses
and they frown or smile
their faces offering reflections
of the lives they’ve known

but in their eyes, I see
reflections of the many lives
I’ve lived as I stroll 
through the gallery.

My memories stir inside
a deep affection of quiet drives
through the countryside
and past this quiet town.

Once when I stopped
for a pizza
a light shown upon
the face of a girl at the counter.

    lights shine like stars
    on small town people
    living ordinary lives

Big Kid Small Town

When I was a kid, about ten,
Living in a very small town,
The streets were all gravel,
And I was free until sundown.

I would leave the house each day,
Ride my bike to get my friend,
And we would race across town,
All four blocks from end to end.

The only places we went
Were the park or the little store.
We got two pieces of gum
For a quarter, sometimes more.

Pedaling like hell to get away,
We were outlaws on the run.
The park only had two swings,
But those monkey bars were fun.

We'd go home when hungry,
Eat, then be back out the door.
That big taste of freedom
In that small town we'd explore.

Never once was there a worry
Until the sun started to fade.
When the street light came on,
My curfew had been made.

I'd tell my buddy goodbye
And make my way back home.
A little kid who felt grown
In that tiny town I'd roam.

Two Faced People

It seems it’s not just a small group anymore. It’s as if it’s everyone now.  This town used to be peaceful and kind doing things for each other. It was so welcoming at first sight.  But now it’s as if the walls of the town has started coming in almost closing in on itself. The people have turned into something else. The once cheerful newspaper lady turned her back and become cold. The man who runs the ice cream shop in town isn’t as nice as the double scoops he dips out. Even the clerk at the accountant office calls everyone in town trash. If everyone is what she says why does she even work in the town? It’s as if this town has lost it’s charm. The shine has finally worn off of the town’s sign. The town is nothing but two faced people.

Waupaca Awakens

‘Waupaca Awakens’

The thin ice cracks
As daylight breaks,
Along the still waters
Of a chain of lakes

Melting snow and slush
Both lapping the pier,
Letting the bluegill know
A new season is near

North of the place
The first sound is heard,
A sign of change is ...
The red-winged blackbird

Their call from the birch
Is melodic and shrill,
Carried on the winds
Of winter's last chill

Leaves of the maple
Needles of the pine,
Rustle in the breeze
Shiver down their spine

Timid, black bear cubs
And white-tailed fawns,
Welcome one of many
Warm, springtime dawns

Mallards in the distance
Returning geese overhead,
Spotted calves yawning
In their fenced in bed

Much seasonal beauty
One small town did regain,
All of Waupaca awakens
From meadow to Main.



(4/4/24)


2nd Place 

"Waupaca Awakens with Poetry" Poetry Contest 

waupacaarts.org/waupaca-poetry-contest-winners-1

(Just a note for those who may not know ... Waupaca is a small town in the state of Wisconsin, not far from where I live. Their annual poetry contest was held recently and I placed 2nd with this poem ... )

Poor Boy

A stick for a gun
a dead frog known as ‘Old Pete’
childhood is conquered

Small Town Cop

Alternating red and blue, police car siren blaring.
My heart is thumping wildly. I wave and blow him a kiss, 
But he doesn't notice. He is on the job, not caring.
And since I'm driving slowly, a chance meeting I'm going to miss.

Had he wings, he would be the Heavenly Angel Michael.
But he is an honest cop who watches for speeders on the road.
His manner is courteous; his aura is physical,
Yet, his peaceful brow is smooth, tending not to furrow hold.

Today, I see him at the curb writing a citation.
I wave, I wink, and blow a kiss as I drive on by.
Though my heart is bursting with daily infatuation, 
It is those California girls who always catch his eye.

Small Town Samhain

“Baby, win me a prize at the county fair.”

The smell of funnel cake mingles with the metallic scent of rickety rides.  The smoke billowing in the air accents my chills but I still want to be stuck with you at the top of the ferris wheel;  It’s trick or treat season, candy is permitted. Sugar highs and sticky lips  facing mundane fears; Adrenaline  masked by the risk of falling, talking masked by intense screaming, did I give in again?  Water gun balloon races, basketballs, and too tall to carry stuffed animals. They all have a feeling of time sensitive anxiety.  Bulls and hogs with blue ribbons spooking. Is it a masked ticket vendor or someone stalking the next line breaker? 

Beaten horror house,
fiery tilt a whirl spinning;
Wild small town Samhain.

Memories

The lonesome whistle of a late night train
The sound of bullfrogs or a night owls screech
The melodic drip of a summer rain
These things pull me back to my town asleep

I could count the stars in the sky at night
Without smog or bright lights to drown the view
Bushes covered in fireflies glittered bright
Like golden mounds covered in misty dew

I had so many years of wasted dreams
Of where time did not move at a snail’s pace
I now know the only thing that I need
Is to return to that much simpler place

But my small town has completely vanished
Her quiet streets will never comfort me
My hope of returning have been banished
All that’s left are this old man’s memories

Dusty Roads of the Past

I took the hot and dusty backroad,
that twisted into my old hometown.
Hoping that some of those good ole days,
might still be there just hanging around.

Was looking for some of those good times,
I had when I was still young and free.
When nothing in this world could stop me,
from being who I wanted to be.

Walked down the streets looking for lost love, 
I thought I could start over again.
But all I could find were memories,
of that disappointment, hurt, and pain.

I guess it’s true what they have told me,
that anything good will never last.
And you will never find what you need,
walking down dusty roads of the past.

I Am From a Small Town

I am a small-town girl;
where the air is fresh and clean,     
where the pace is slow and steady
and the streets are rarely seen.

I am a small-town girl,
with a heart full of hope and joy;
I want to see the world
and find my place to deploy.

But now I am in the city
and it's a different kind of place;
the sounds and smells are foreign
and the people have different faces.

I miss the simple pleasures,
like stargazing at night
or walking through the fields
and watching birds take flight.

I'll embrace this new adventure
and see where it may lead;
I'll learn to navigate the city
and find the things I need.

I am a small-town girl,
with a heart that's pure and kind;
I'll take on the challenges
and leave the past behind.

I'll make new friends and memories,
find my place in the city;
I am from a small town,
but my spirit is free and gritty.

I Am From a Small Town

I am from a small town,
where life moves at a gentle pace,
where neighbors lend a hand
and smiles light up each face.

I am a small-town girl,
with dreams that reach the sky;
I want to see the world
and watch the stars up high.

But now I am in the city
and it's a different scene;
the lights are bright and flashing
and people move like machines.
I miss the sound of crickets
and the smell of fresh-cut hay,
but I'll embrace this new adventure
and see where it leads today.

I'll learn to navigate the streets
and make friends along the way;
I'll keep my small-town values
and let them guide me each day.    

For though the city may be big
and life may move so fast,
I am a small-town girl at heart
and that's the strength that lasts.

So I'll keep my head up high
and chase my dreams with all my might;
I am from a small town,
the world within my sight.

I Am From a Small Town

I am from a small town
where everyone knows my name,
where fields stretch on for miles
and life is a simple game.

I am a small-town girl,
with dreams as big as the sky;
I want to spread my wings
and learn to soar up high.

but now I am in the city
and everything's so new;
I am lost in the hustle-bustle
of this world that's not so true.

The traffic lights confuse me;
red, green, and yellow too;
I am not sure where to go
or what I am supposed to do;
the city girls are different,
their clothes, their hair, their ways;
they don't understand my country roots
and how I've spent my days.

I won't let that stop me;
I'll learn to find my place
and though I miss my small town,
I won't forget my roots, my grace.

For though I may be lost,
and the city may seem big,
I'll keep my small-town heart
and spread my wings to live.

I Am From a Small Town

I am from a small town;
I am a small town girl;
first arrived in the city,
I am lost at an intersection with traffic lights, 
red light, green light, yellow light,
should I go left or right?
fear and shyness haunt me;
should I be brave or cowardly?
girls call me "Country Girl";
I wonder;
city girl, country girl?
Is there a difference?
I have too many questions;
the question mark is like a hat,
wear it on my head anytime, anywhere;
like a troubled teenager,
I fear I'll end up on the street;
I lose myself,
I struggle,
I fight;
I don't want to be swallowed by the city;
I don't want to drown in tall buildings;  
I make myself an invisible woman  
to disappear into the crowd.

County Fair

The hum of the motors that run the rides,
watching cars on tracks going up and down.
Squeals and screams from all those children that ride,
scrambler, octopus, and merry-go-round.

From the excitement of the tilt-a-whirl,
to the view from atop the Ferris wheel.
Stealing kisses from your favorite girl,
how wonderful the county fair did feel.

There were carnies barking out to the crowd,
telling us all about their games of chance.
Spend a dollar to win a ten-cent bear,
was all part of the county fair’s romance.

Toss a ball at a milk can pyramid,
trying to knock them over if you can.
If you can manage to do it just right,
then you might win your girl a paper fan.

Popcorn, cotton candy, and funnel cakes,
things that a fairgoer can’t live without.
Live country music at the beer garden,
that’s where all the older folks would hang out.

Seems there was a contest for just about,
everything that is possible to judge.
People hoping for red, or blue ribbons,
on their pigs or cows or jellies or fudge.

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