Blue Night Sky

This gentle town is a caretaker

A Santa Paula Road. Photo copyrighted by the author.

“It takes a small town to keep you humble.”
— Bess Streeter Aldrich, author.

Blue night sky,
winding roads
that loop back home,
feelings that belong
to the mountains,
the red-tailed hawks,
and the Chumash moon.
Hope lives here, unobstructed.
She is among the trees,
the grazing goats,
the slithering snakes,
and the occasional mountain lion.
Small town love
is quiet, cautious, and friendly.
Counting stars from the front porch.
Picking oranges in the fields.
Allegiance to the elders and the deceased.
Grilling corn on an outdoor barbecue.
Yes, living here is the same old
but each breath is new
and each sunrise is bold
and there’s plenty
of Mexican take-out food.
Here, we only eat when hungry,
and only dream when bored.
Those who never leave
become the town’s children,
and those who move to other places
always return.