Celebrate: We Want to Know

Celebrate: We want to knowSing to me of South Dakota, tell itlike Carl Sandburg did about Chicago’s big shoulders.Tell me about the workersof infinite variety within this state.How goes their day?Tell me the what, tell me the why,tell me about a day in your life.Did Spring creep up on you one fine morningon cats’ feet as you beheld your first crocuswith the snow of winter barely gone?Who has not had a night of the dark soulthat broke on through to the other side?Did you light your candle on both ends with aflame oh so bright and now, years later,are you ever more wise?Have you climbed the former Harney’s Peak andfrom that vantage point seen five different states?Standing on the dome, did you hear Black Elk speak?Were the words whispered? Did they roar?Tell me.Tell me if Sioux Falls is the best little city,on a summer Friday evening’s air,as the young and the restless,arm in arm, slow dance down the sculpture walkon Philip Avenue.Tell me about the endless prairie,quarter sectioned, row cropped and drilled.Tell me of short grass, cattle and small town bars,blue skies and red tail hawks,until you reach the distant Hills.Then sing to me of Rapid City’sMain Street Square poppingto sounds of musicmingling with the sunset colors rainbowingfrom the pulsing water fountain’s spray.Sing me all of South Dakota,sing me your life,for the good of poetryis the celebrating, the tellingof the Golden Age of We.All that is blessed, all that is struggle, tell me your heart.Sing of yourself, sing South Dakota.I want to hear the voices of angels,I want to hear Walt Whitman’s barbaric yelpssinging through you.Bruce Roseland, 6/11/18We want to hear from you. Go to SDPoetry.org to enter our poetry contest, chapbook contest, or to submit to Pasque Petals. More details are available on our website. Featured image by Kyle Taylor, under the creative commons license on Flickr.