Name_____________________________________Date__________________________
If you’re not from the prairie…
By David Bouchard
1. If you’re not from the prairie,
1. __________
2. You don’t know the sun,
2. __________
3. You can’t know the sun.
3. __________
_____________________________
4. Diamonds that bounce off crisp winter snow,
4. __________
5. Warm waters in dugouts and lakes that we know.
5. __________
6. The sun is our friend from when we are young,
6. __________
7. A child of the prairie is part of the sun.
7. __________
______________________________
8. If you’re not from the prairie,
8. ___________
9. You don’t know the sun.
9. __________
______________________________
10. If you’re not from the prairie,
10. __________
11. You don’t know the wind,
11. __________
12. You can’t know the wind.
12. __________
______________________________
13. Our cold winds of winter cut right to the core,
13. __________
14. Hot summer wind devils can blow down the door.
14. __________
15. As children we know when we play any game,
15. __________
16. The wind will be there, yet we play just the same.
16. __________
___________________________
17. If you’re not from the prairie,
17. __________
18. You don’t know the wind.
18. __________
__________________________
19. If you’re not from the prairie,
19. __________
20. You don’t know the sky,
20. __________
21. You can’t know the sky.
21. __________
___________________________
22. The bold prairie sky is clear, bright and blue,
22. __________
23. Though sometimes cloud messages give us a clue.
23. __________
24. Monstrous grey mushrooms can hint of a storm,
24. __________
25. Or painted pink feathers say goodbye to the warm.
25. __________
___________________________
26. If you’re not from the prairie,
26. __________
27. You don’t know the sky.
27. __________
28. If you’re not from the prairie,
28. _________
29. You don’t know what’s flat,
29. _________
30. You’ve never seen flat.
30. _________
______________________
31. When travelers pass through across our great plain,
31. _________
32. They all view our home, they all say the same:
32. _________
33. “It’s simple and flat!” They’ve not learned to see.
33. _________
34. The particular beauty that’s now part of me.
34. _________
______________________
35. If you’re not from the prairie,
35. _________
36. You don’t know what’s flat.
36. _________
_______________________
37. If you’re not from the prairie,
37. _________
38. You’ve not heard the grass,
38. _________
39. You’ve never heard grass.
39. _________
______________________
40. In strong summer winds, the grains and grass bend
40. _________
41. And sway to a dance that seems never to end.
41. _________
42. It whispers its secrets—they tell of this land
42. _________
43. And the rhythm of life played by nature’s own hand.
43. _________
________________________________
44. If you’re not from the prairie,
44. _________
45. You’ve never heard grass.
45. _________
______________________________
46. So you’re not from the prairie,
46. _________
47. And yet you know snow.
47. _________
48. You think you know snow?
48. _________
_____________________________
49. Blizzards bring danger, as legends have told,
49. _________
50. In deep drifts we roughhouse, ignoring the cold.
50. _________
51. At times we look out at great seas of white,
51. _________
52. So bright is the sun that we squeeze our eyes tight.
52. _________
____________________________
53. If you’re not from the prairie,
53. _________
54. You don’t know snow.
54. _________
__________________________
55. If you’re not from the prairie,
55. _________
56. You don’t know our trees,
56. _________
57. You can’t know our trees.
57. _________
________________________
58. The trees that we know have taken so long,
58. _________
59. To live through our seasons, to grow tall and strong.
59. _________
60. They’re loved and they’re treasured, we watched as they
grew,
60. _________
61. We knew they were special—the prairie has few.
___________________________
61. _________
62. If you’re not from the prairie,
62. _________
63. You don’t know our trees.
63. _________
___________________________
64. Still, you’re not from the prairie,
64. _________
65. And yet you know cold…
65. _________
66. You say you’ve been cold?
66. _________
_________________________
67. Of all of those memories we share when we’re old,
67. _________
68. None are more clear than that hard bitter cold.
68. _________
69. You’ll not find among us a soul who can say:
69. _________
70. “I’ve conquered the wind on a cold winter’s day.”
70. _________
71. If you’re not from the prairie,
71. _________
72. You don’t know the cold,
72. _________
73. You’ve never been cold!
73. _________
________________________
74. If you’re not from the prairie,
74. _________
75. You don’t know me.
75. _________
76. You just can’t know ME.
76. _________
________________________
77. You see,
77. _________
78. My hair’s mostly wind,
78. _________
79. My eyes filled with grit,
79. _________
80. My skin’s red or brown,
80. _________
81. My lips chapped and split.
81. _________
_______________________
82. I’ve lain on the prairie and heard grasses sigh.
82. _________
83. I’ve stared at the vast open bowl of the sky.
83. _________
84. I’ve seen all those castles and faces in clouds,
84. _________
85. My home is the prairie, and I cry out loud.
85. _________
___________________________
86. If you’re not from the prairie, you can’t know my soul,
86. _________
87. You don’t know our blizzards, you’ve not fought our
cold.
87. _________
88. You can’t know my mind, nor ever my heart,
88. _________
89. Unless deep within you, there’s somehow a part…
89. _________
90. A part of these things that I’ve said that I know
90. _________
91. The wind, sky and earth, the storms and the snow.
91. _________
92. Best say you have—and then we’ll be one,
92. _________
93. For we will have shared that same blazing sun.
93. _________