The family sits around the supper table.
They discuss the days work and what
must be done tomorrow. They are
tired and soon go to bed.
The kerosene lamps go out
one by one and the house
is quiet. This goes on the
next day, week and for months.
Children leave one by one,
and the house is destined
to fall into ruin, which it
does over the next few years.
Side boards split and shingles
fly away. The roof sags and light
from the one lamp burning can
be seen from all sides of the house.
It is difficult to keep warm in
the winter and cool in the summer.
The old man dies, and the mother
goes to live with a relative.
The farmhouse sinks a little
but still stands in its dilapidated
state. This is what I see as we
pass it on the highway, which
was once only a dirt road.
Many emotions are felt
when you realize that this
was life on the prairie in
days gone be. It was good
when it was thriving and
bad near the end and what
I saw was well past the end.
It will never be restored.
Large machines run by computers
Will farm the land and the
House will eventually be
Bulldozed down and no one will
Know it ever existed.
Stanski
July 30, 2023, ^
Steve Haarman 