Souris
Nine-teen five had at least one glorious day--
Westhope vs. Souris in nine innings
In Independence Day. Four thousand came,
Five, some say and Mary Ellen Chase cheered
Hard but silently for Lars playing
Shortstop for the Opposing team.
So when he hit a double to win the game,
Her heart flew up, up with the ball, and did
Not come back until later, after she
And Lars has driven out along the river
And found a hill where the breeze kept the bugs
Away, and Lars tied his horse to his buggy
And they lay down and she would have let him
Touch her anywhere but he stopped short
And later she was glad. He drove her back
To town and glowing underneath the stars,
She clung to him and said, I know our town
Will grow and our children will grow up in
A splendid city like Minot. Lars clutched
?The reins and said, No, the town would start to
Die before they would, and if they lived long
Lives, they’d see the day when all the stores
Would close, and on main street, there’d be
the inevitable bar and the garage,
Its door a square of light cut into the
Summer night. Stung, Mary sat straight up
and looked straight ahead and say that might
be so, but they could still keep neat homes]
on the back streets. For, she said,
It is not unpleasant to live
In the Middle of worn things. The pieces
Fit after all, and what is neglect but
A nasty name for solitude.