Ottawa County

A day's ride, or less, at the leisurely pace

of a sound, fit horse—a rare find these days—
is one way to measure the world, this world,
the one for which I am responsible, like it
or not. Twenty-two miles, give or take, from
north to south, from east to west. No stranger
to heartache and harm, this patch of ground
bears scars, as do the living and dead who
people its pastures, rivers, history, and hills.
I no more wish to abandon this place than I
wish to part with my own rib cage, beating
heart within. And yet, I have not yet known
it, not in the least. Grand Spirit, help me find
the pace of Your repair of the world, this one.