01.18.08

i dream of horses tossing wild manes to the sky; alfalfa fields stretched beyond the horizon; grandma's quilt and a pot-belly stove; curiously watching water skippers while dangling legs over the dock; fourth-of-july sparklers and sun dresses; afternoon trail rides and horse hair on my jeans; soil under my nails after planting tomatoes and corn; the smell of wet earth at the beginning of a rainstorm; hearing the soft plucking of guitar strings coming from the porch; big-eared deer leaping pasture fences; hemlock trees clothed in snow; weekend camping trips and sharing secrets by the fire; a rowboat for two and a lake all to ourselves; sledding with neighbor kids and catching snowflakes on my tongue; the smell of leather and sweet grain in the barn; sitting in the bed of an old truck, bumping over dirt roads; catching fish for dinner; sleeping under an endless sky of stars; four seasons; my very own cowboy hat; country-fried potatoes and farm-fresh eggs at the local diner; feeling free; finally finding home.