Sample Pages
County Seat
When a courthouse is first built
a young town blossoms;
it now has an identity; a reason to be.
It’s a special place
not only for the people who live there
but for those that work there too.
From miles away folks will come to town
to take care of business reserved for the county seat.
Land records, birth, death and marriages;
taxes to pay;
talk to county officials about fixing a road
or building a new school.
New people moving in up there
young kids need to learn the 3 Rs
Some will receive a call to sit in judgment
during a court of law;
others as witness for and against;
civil trial or criminal;
might have been self-defense.
From time to time the building gets some change;
to keep it up to date;
maybe an addition,
new windows, roof repairs, fresh paint,
modern sidewalks replace the old broken wood.
It’s all part of taking care of civilization.
As the years role by the people know
the courthouse gives then an identity.
The old one burned down;
A new one took its place.
The town, the community safe and secure;
They are important, they have a role to play.
As long as they have a courthouse
nobody can take that away.
They are the county seat.
Seeing History
Thick grass covers the prairies
sheltering the legacy left to its care.
Ruts carved by mass migrations of earlier people;
images of wagons stretching single file
as far as the eye can see
their white canvas tops gleaming in the hot sun.
Sounds of leather harness creaking with the shifting strain
as teams of horses and mules coax their loads along.
The constant squeal of wood rubbing on wood.
Day after day the same tedious routine
til finally the wagons pass from sight.
The dust clouds settle
And the prairie is again quiet.
Another broken wheel or unmarked grave
is added to the legacy.