Midwest River Town
after Vachel Lindsay
The old river town where I grew up its main street lined with shops and worn brick buildings the smell of diesel fuel and freshly cut grass mingling in the air as the sun sets over the water
I think of the men who work the riverboats their calloused hands and weary eyes the way they move with a slow deliberate pace as if the weight of the world rests on their shoulders
The town’s a mixture of old and new where industrial parks meet cornfields and woods the sound of trains and factories humming alongside the songs of birds and rustling leaves
I took from Vachel Lindsay his fascination with the American heartland and his use of folksy, direct diction to create a sense of authenticity. I applied this to a poem about a Midwest river town, exploring the tension between industry and nature.