A Prairie Home Companion from American Public Media: First Person

You See An Old Barn
By Linda Schumacher
Email: blschue at verizon dot net
(above email address formatted to reduce spam)
February 14, 2008

You see an old barn
I retrieve memories
A little red tractor
80 acres of farmland
A hardworking man in a Sears denim jacket

Herds of cows
"Don't feed them too much clover,
It's not good for them", he'd say.
Later, there were sheep
Bottle-fed lambs in the kitchen.

Lunch time;
Go in for homemade noodles.
My grandma in a flower print dress,
Apron tied neatly across.

A spotless farm house
Two levels, extra bedrooms upstairs.
Don't dangle pencils through the grate,
You'll get in trouble.

Look out the 2nd floor window,
There's the big tree
With the swing.

Toby, the cat, stalked mice
And kept the farm free of pests.
He also liked to bat a walnut
Around the kitchen, in play.

It's all gone now.
Time goes on.
People die.
Things change.

But memories last forever.

About the author:
I am a 55 year old wife, stepmom and grandma. I work at a local radio station in Janesville, Wisconsin. In my spare time, writing poetry gives me great enjoyment. (and has, since I've been a young child) Last week, we saw our first live performance of "Prairie Home Companion" and enjoyed it very much. Thank you for a great program.

A few years ago, my husband and I made a trip back to my grandparent's farm, where I spent summers in the 1960's. The only thing left was one old falling down barn. And also, the big tree mentioned in the poem. This poem was created to honor my childhood memories.