New towns have no past, of course,
and ghost towns have no future.
But my home town has too little Now.
That thin line between "was" and
"will be" has been eroded
by a colorful and lively history
and a made by magic future.
The reenactors have become the docents
for a priestly order reciting the
beads of the past.
Each day they serve the cameraed and
funny hatted pilgrims.
With practice and repetition their litany
has become a report of an eye witness.
It is a labor of love in an alternative
life style.
The past is alive and well,
thank you.
The future hopers also have a ritual
repeated daily
describing the wonderful
days ahead.
Over coffee or cocktails,
at service club meetings
and on the golf course
the prayerful call
for better times
mocks the Rain Dance
of their neighbors.
They wait and wait
for the Fairy Godmother to
deliver the promised miracle.
Perhaps it will be found
in the roll of the dice
or the spin of the wheel.
Or, if all the sons and daughters
sent to a world of the Now
would come home with their
fat retirement checks.
That would be a wonderful "Now"
for my home town.
A government project or a California
manufacturer looking for
cheap land and good transportation
round out a long list of roads to the
promised land.
But weeds grow in the Now time!.
So it also is with the litter and graffiti,
it may have been there yesterday
and could be there tomorrow,
but today is when it can be cleaned.
The Fairy Godmother doesn't visit until
there is a decent place to stand
while making miracles.
The town is anticipating this
great event as if it were a long
overdue visit.
Could it be that the Fairy Godmother
has come and left?
Is there no magic in the air and water?
And what a gift the view of the
of the Peak each morning.
And it just might be that the
silent explosive killer of
canaries was an early gift now
appreciated.
Perhaps the time frame is too narrow.
A community slogan honoring the glory
of Now might help.
So a toast:
Here is to a productive Today made possible by
a glorious Yesterdays and magic Tomorrows.
Make today last long for we have chores to do.
1st Draft 8-28-94