by Kristen Ellsworth
I would like to think there were a million Mariettas
Tucked away somewhere in the
Lancaster Counties of the world.
I would like to think that the earth were full
Of children baking mud pies on Susquehanna rocks,
Or making forts of ruins that nature has reclaimed.
Of summer evenings glistening with fireflies,
Or rain perfumed with honeysuckle.
I’d like to think that Saturday mornings everywhere were full
Of church picnics and family yard sales on brick sidewalks,
And red hot barbeque chicken sold from the fire truck.
Every Sunday would chime the hour
from the church on every block.
And every neighborhood would have
an ivy covered antique shop
Or a bed and breakfast court yard.
The brownie troops and little leagues
would steal every parade.
Each town would be laced with farm lands,
Embraced with hills of green.
Poet Kristen Ellsworth grew up in Marietta. Now residing in Macon,
Georgia, Kristen will be remembered in Marietta for her mural at the
W.L. Beahm Junior High School and her book Sketches of Marietta,
published in 1995. Her website is kristenapplebee.com.