Friday, January 28, 2011

God's Country

 Saturday Philip and I are going to my hometown, Warden! Warden is the kind of place that elicits a "huh?" or a "where???" whenever you mention that you're from there. So for those who don't know, Warden is a glorious place located 12 miles east of Moses Lake, 2 hours west of Pullman, about 6 hours east of Seattle. In Warden,there are more cows than people, everyone knows your name, and the whole community pulls together when someone's in need. I liked to complain about being from a town where there's "nothing to do" while I was in high school, but I secretly loved living in a place where my friends and I could have a blast going to Wal-mart or playing in the park. Hope this gives you a better picture of one of my favorite places.

Amber saturates every row of alfalfa.
You see in the stained glass of the church,

just below the steeple.
A child runs through the sprinkler.
A car kicks up gravel, Spanish music, onions.
The sign that reads "Welcome to Warden,
home of Warden Wrestling,"
the rusty manure spreader, the neon orange house.
Hear who you are in the pews,
in the cracks in the sidewalk, in your grandmother's face.

Still confused? Check this map.

1 comment:

Jill aka Mrs. Massa said...

I love this Chelsea and I know that all who live here will feel what we call "God's Country" in the "voice" of your poem. Thanks-I needed that!

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