Ryan Hilligoss, September 19, 2020

Sailing on ancient Egyptian waters

A glowing orange sun sets on a quiet evening in July

Filling the water’s surface with glowing embers

Of memories of a beautiful day

The faces of my beautiful rewards

I could die with heaven in my eyes

An open corn field ends in a gravel parking lot

Edging up against a pole barn and secret dance floor

Hiding underneath aged oaks and their acorns raining down

Lighting and heavy rains send dancers and band alike

In search of shelter and warmth

The dance floor still wet, the band strikes up

Two old friends take the dance floor, slowly at first but quickening

The singer: freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose

A baseball diamond, anywhere USA

Cars in the soft asphalt while hotdogs spin on the open roller grill

Bright white lines chalked down first and third

Indicating the Way home

Two generations of parents sit in their stiff backed lawn chairs

Waiting for the crack of the bat and smack of ball on leather

The man stands behind the expectant catcher

Seeing all but saying nothing, lost in thought, gazing at a setting sun

And clouds filled with orange and gold

A smack of the catcher’s glove awakens

Hey blue, ball or strike?

A three day odyssey, putting Lewis and Clark to shame in length

Shared experience and time

Three generations of Illinois boys in their white chariot

A Bird in French Lick spreads his wings and flies high to a distant ocean shore

A young man in Louisville, a Champ, loses a bike but gains a higher calling

And shows the world a better way of love, peace and understanding

A young man born on the outskirts of civilization

Working and sweating in the shadows of trees

The young Hoosier splits rails, constructing a rough fence around the family farm

Keeping safe the spare crops and few head of cattle

While he strikes the fallen elms

He dreams of a better way and of distant sunsets

I could die with heaven in my eyes