Ira is where our phones kick in or die
Depending on whether we are traveling
To or from Rutland.
Ira is where I have never seen anyone
Who lives in Ira and where a cruiser
Sometimes hides right before (or after) the farm.
Ira is where the weather changes
Because it is where the mountains stop (or start)
And the land opens up north and south.
Ira is not unusual for its 3-letter name.
It will never be on the map like Rio and Ulm.
Ira is not really a town as towns go.
It has a graveyard and a church.
It has some houses and a town hall.
Its population is 433.
If I am heading home from Rutland
And I see a storm over Ira
I think twice before driving home that way.
I might go the long way through Wallingford.
I used to live in Wallingford
Before I got married and my son went off to college.
The buzzards used to hang out in the locust trees
Around my little house after a rain
Drying their wings like cormorants.
I miss the ocean. It's been too long.
It's been over a year
Since we drove through Ira heading for the sea.
(Article changed on July 4, 2020 at 21:23)
