Navigation

The Farmer's Pike

Down th’ old Farmer’s pike
Stands my old homestead
With memories of boyhood
Coverin’ th’ road’s dusty bed,
Where two paths wus beaten
By buggy wheels
And th’ other’n wus peppered
By horse’s heels:
There fence posts with clover bloom-
Wus beautifully crowned
From riggings of brushin’ hay
The Farmers would haul
Down th’ pike’s narrow way,
And bare feet would patter
Through dust, down th’ road
To th’ swimmin’ hole we fancied
Through wheat fields of gold-
And tall corn grow’d:
It’s been th’ old Farmer’s pike
Since nineteen ten
With steam threshers and horse riggins
Since I kent tell when,
Now th’ old road bed
Slumbers many a thought
Of old folks a-passin’
And new one’s brought,
But this old codger ‘ll keep joggin’ on
Down th’ road he likes
‘Till time slaps th’ cumuckles
And totes him, off th’ pike.

R.H. Eilar (Rheta's Father)

Prairie Lighthouse

Stately lighthouses grace America's shores and perilous shoals,
Providing a guiding beam and solace for seafaring souls.
These stalwart sentries warn mariners of the perils they might face,
Protecting from unseen hazards and the unforgiving seas' embrace!

The most incomparable of all the lighthouses in this great land,
Doesn't perch upon seashore bluff or barren ocean strand,
But reposes sedately on the pastoral prairie of the Hoosier State,
Providing a peaceful, inviting place for folks to meditate!

A caring family saw this as their life's prayerful mission,
Building this monument of love and bringing it to fruition.
The Land Family manages this guiding light with justifiable pride;
It's far-reaching beams, in a sense, touch languid souls world-wide!

'Tis so comforting to see its beacon on a dark, stormy night;
It seems to beckon and say, "Take heart, everything is alright!"
The Land Family will probably never really know,
The love they've extended thro' the light's consoling glow!

That elegant torch has brought fame and glory to old Farmers Pike;
Visitors journey from afar, exclaiming, "We've never seen its like!"
No doubt the Father of All will place upon their brows a crown,
Saying, "My Lands, you've served Me and humankind with great renown!"

Robert Hinshaw (Grew up on Farmer's Pike, now lives in Colorado)