The Barn

By Imogene Barger Rights reserved Return to <Poems and Stuff>

I was built strong and tough in nineteen and four

I have stood through two World Wars and many more.

Built with cottonwood boards from a sawmill long gone.

Put on a sturdy foundation of cement and stone.

Cartwright walked from town with tools in hand

Built my roof and walls the best in the land.

The loft hides kittens and the pigeons that coo.

The kids played there though ordered not to.

Gone is the last of those sweltering hot days

The sun is sending down its more gentle rays.

I catch a glimpse of a long V in the sky,

As I listen to the plaintive wild goose cry.

The late butterfly flits about with all its charm

And the years final harvest has come to the barn.

I am filled to the brim with good grain and hay.

Enough to last all through winter’s long day.

I’m now very old and look tattered and torn

But I’ve stood tall and proud through many a storm.

Mice, rats, and wild animals now creep and crawl

Where the milk cows once ate hay from their stall.

Today they burned me down to the cold, cold ground.

I fell slowly in with a strange crackling sound.

They buried my bones deep so they could now farm

Over the place where I stood full of pride and charm.

The wheat will grow tall and the cattle will graze

Where I spent so many long and eventful days.

My life has vanished like a late summer rain,

Soon only vague memories of me will remain.