I grew up near Graysville in Greene County. I haven’t lived in the area for a number of years. Every time I return, I’m shocked by another road closure and more empty houses of families I once knew. I wrote this poem after one of my last visits.
Home By Jodi M. Richards (Gorby)
The road is empty and overgrown
Remnants of families who once filled these homes
Always beautiful, through the eyes of a child
now yards are forgotten and growing wild
The weeds are tall and hide the paths
To broken doors with jagged glass.
The air still crisp, fresh and clean
The fields are endless, but not as green
Memories are strong, felt in my bones
My familiar places, strangers now roam
The loss feels big and leaves me hollow
Each time I visit, less tears follow
beauty surrounds me, all in the view
What once was here can be recalled by few
Soil will stay, my tree will grow
Family of the past that no one will know
The garden out back, pet graves in the woods
Defining an era where a home once stood
Forever I leave a piece of my spirit
I say my goodbye with no one to hear it.
