Red Barns, Illinois

They dot the landscape
Squat behind corn stalks,
Their window eyes alert. 

The early farmers used rust
to seal the barn boards.
Iron swirled the mixture red, 
pleasing, familiar beacons
in flat, green landscapes.
Such practical people.

Being sensible, we should all
don a protective coating
to guard us from harm,
to keep our hearts safe.
It seems the thing to do...

But...and there's always a but...
Our souls seek freedom, chances for
laughter, happiness, love:
they crave rainbow flares of delight
and even the darker shades of life.

Let flat red hues stay safe, purposeful
on wooden slats, protecting sturdy barns,
but let our hearts take iridescent wings
and soar, fall down, and fly again. 

Linda K Menzies 2023