Why do parks calm and refresh,
Backyards give a sense of peace,
Beaches, mountains, forests, plains,
Even deserts give a rush
Of pure pleasure? Oxygen
May be part of the answer:
Leave stale air in house or car,
Stand near trees and blow out pain,
Breathe in health, escape the walls,
Fences, ceilings, chemicals,
Television, motor sound,
Hear your own breath, look around…
– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, August 14, 2014
Cowboys may ask forgiveness,
but never ask permission.
The house-movers had slid huge beams beneath
the floor joist after they used jacks to pry
our home off its foundation. Hauling with
a dirt-filled dump truck, a long chain would try
and pull the house still filled with chairs and beds
and dishes, glasses, breakfast cereal,
to our new farm ten miles down country roads.
…
Our house arrived intact, but neighbors still
will tell of cowboy-movers cutting trees
and posts of mail boxes with their chainsaw,
then handing out one hundred dollar bills
to angry folks before they called the Law.
…
The foreman said, “We never ask before
we move a house for someone might say no…”
– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL
house-moving
Views from the Edge 