The Kansas prairie on a sunny day Is a soporific A single glass of wine Turning down the volume Relaxing the mind Soothing the fraying edge It isn't the vision of hay bales Tractors Barns and silos That draws me in But the unimaginable vista That comes with every slight rise Something about that view That vast open space Is like rocking in a chair On somebody's front porch It's easy to miss Dismiss Prairie beauty But it is not Insignificant In Autumn The colors of the prairie Are no less grand than Leaves turning in Vermont Something in the heart Resonates Appreciates Subtleties of grasses Going from green to Gold burgundy cream yellow orange Changing perspective Wind rippled fields Creates an iridescent Sense of motion Colors washing past Shimmering in the sun Driving through a Prairie afternoon Changing light Makes me want to spend A year Living on that rise over there Or perhaps the next one Rocking chair on porch Watching the season's light Come and go It's just a dream Other seasons Different times And the prairie Is a harsh mistress I'll enjoy the dream And look forward To next Autumn When we'll go driving Through the Flint Hills Once again Kansas prairie Shining in the sun .............................. Every year when we drive through Kansas I make notes for a poem. I finally collected them all together and got it finished today. Maybe this year I can enjoy the trip without feeling like I have to write it all down! :) ............................. Cover art in ArtRage 2.0 and Photoshop CC