She Was But a Barn

She Was But a Barn

She stood forlorn in a worn out field,
An aging, wrinkled crone.
Though unsung,
She rivaled the classic architecture of old Europe.

There were no signs or souvenirs,
No mention in a guide book.
No tourists flocked to view her,
She was but a barn.
Her history was hardly grandiose.
She was but a simple monument to the brave,
But ordinary folk
Who settled hereabouts.

Each winter, snow lay heavy on her roof.
Each spring she sagged a little more.
How many seasons could she have stood to tell
That some humble pioneer
Homesteaded there?

One morning when I walked that way,
A sign proclaimed development.
Eighty homes, a strip mall, and a filling station
Would replace my piece of history.

With swimming eyes, I climbed the fence
and walked on dry and crackling grass.
I entered through the double doors,
One hung precariously, the other down and molding into dust.
I stood in silent homage
To what soon would be no more.
Inside, weeds grew through the floor.
Old straw crumpled into dust in stalls where once horses rested.
Swallow nests in darkened corners, chirping music in the rafters.
Blue sky shone through gaps while
Dust filled God beams; searched for mouse tracks below.

She was alive that day.
Her old timbers creaked and groaned
As I sat, my back against a crumbling stall
And whispered my good bye.

I left that day with heavy heart.
She had been a friend so long,
seen each day as I walked by
In rain or shine, snow or freezing cold.
I took one last, long look, then, turned my back.
There was nothing I could do to help her.
She had no historic value,
Only architectural charm.
She was but a simple barn
Built by gnarled hands and sweat.

I walk that way no longer
Now that my friend has gone.

Vi Jones
©April 12, 2005