Stars from a peaceful, darkened sky

Iowa grows so much without trying.

Look beyond the fields green with life

Dusty brown with harvest

Black with Spring’s potential.

Look within the silos that mark

The efforts and tears of families

And you will find seeds of hope

That promise another year of home.

Friendships in Iowa grow fast and strong.

Small towns know this by heart.

The seeds of laughter and comfort as children

Stay with you long after you leave.

The rhythm of cicadas that is

The heartbeat of an August night.

Lightening Bugs that remind you of

Stars from a peaceful, darkened sky.

When the winds of change blow some

Of us to other places that still think Iowa is

About Potatoes, we politely correct them,

And speak proudly of our land, again.

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orn b.