Minnesota
Arrived on the 6th.
Our plane landed two hours South
A drive through miles of fields
With a scent so unmistakably green
On my way home:
To the family condo by the lake
Where sunlit days were spent poolside
And a citrus tinge of lemonade lingers
There’s more still,
The neighbors bring us treats,
Kathy and Jim,
Standing amongst the grass
Of the back patio
With their warm smiles and gleaming hospitality.
They say there’s such thing as Southern charm,
But from what I’ve seen it lives here.
Then we venture across the river
To a the state eastward
With a house of stone
Once inhabited by an architect
I’d studied in art history
His home,
designed by him
a mirage of low ceilings and stone
Days later, back to the condo
Again set out
To St. Olaf’s
Where I fell in love
With the stained glass of the cathedral
The ogival arches
And the tall, buildings
Reminiscent of a country across the pond.
Then there were, of course
The days spent on the green river
With the company of my family
Laughter and smiles from all.
My days there,
In a town, a state, of warm feelings.
All of it, a trip I can’t forget
I cannot wait to go back.
James Bowie High School
11