I am holding half an acre
and folded in this scrap of paper
is a land I grew in…

A few days ago the hubby and I went for a drive. There was no set place to go or anywhere in mind, just out for a Sunday drive.

As we drove through the country side, he asked if I wanted to head towards a little town where we used to live? The reply was no.

So we wound through back roads where we had never been. And you know what, we wound up in that small town. Just a few miles from where we lived when we first married. We decided to go see the old place.

The red rock road is now paved. Small wonder as now there are only 2 houses at the very back of the community. But there are no string of mail boxes to mark the place. The name of the road is no longer, just a county road number on a small sign.

In this place we lived. The land was cleared, a pond was dug, flowers and trees planted. Along the road was our newly started family, 2 old school friends and one of their family members, and 2 other families. Good homes full of love, laughter and some sadness too. All the drama of life played out there - a child was born and the child of another ended his life for reasons unknown.

Now there is nothing to mark this little community. The roads are empty and the land is overgrown. The log cabin has been moved. The mobile homes are gone.

We got our start there and now it is all gone….

Half an Acre by Hem

I am holding half an acre
torn from the map of Michigan
and folded in this scrap of paper
is a land I grew in

Think of every town you’ve lived in
every room you lay your head
and what is it that you remember?

Do you carry every sadness with you
every hour your heart was broken
every night the fear and darkness
lay down with you

A man is walking on the highway
A woman stares out at the sea
and light is only now just breaking

So we carry every sadness with us
every hour our hearts were broken
every night the fear and darkness
lay down with us

But I am holding half an acre
torn from the map of Michigan
I am carrying this scrap of paper
that can crack the darkest sky wide open
every burden taken from me
every night my heart unfolding
my home