This poem was published in Lyrical Iowa, 1999, by the Iowa Poetry Association
Not Quite Iowa Country Music
I came down the stairs
to see prairie grass growing in the foyer;
Out the window there was a cow
in the garden chewing cud.
Behind it, unbagged leaves blowing into the yard
as the barn door fell before the twister passed.
This morning it rained, but soon it will snow;
Tonight the fog will come before tomorrow's heat.
In the distance the train passed--
more corn syrup for the masses.
I picked up the paper, went in to watch the college game,
and called a neighbor to talk about the weather.