Poetry: Winds of Change

This month’s poem celebrates the windmill as a sustaining source of water and hope for cattle and for the hard working ranchers and their families who make sure they run

The Center for Rural Affairs’ Winds of Life: Windmills Across Nebraska celebration is in full swing. Communities across Nebraska are taking part in this celebration by hosting windmill art contests, windmill themed events, and literary events.

As a child I spent many hours helping my dad repair our windmills. It was a daunting task, but crucial. Cattle can’t go very long without water. Windmills might seem like a remnant to some people, but for us it was the only way to get water to our livestock.

This poem isn’t just about windmills that still remain on the prairie, but it’s symbolic for the hard working people who still remain on the land.

Winds of Change
Many things on this rural landscape have come and gone-
New technologies have changed the way things are done-
But something that has withstood the winds of change, the windmill – not known by any other name-
The windmill has been here for hundreds of years-
Persevering through the hard times, persevering through the fears-
Through the dust and the smoke, the tears and the pain-
The windmill’s duty has always been the same; bring forth water to replenish and sustain-
Some have been destroyed by urban encroachment and change; others stand strong and alone on the untouched range-
For some they are just relics of a time long ago, an ornament of sorts just for show-
But for some they still serve a very crucial purpose; delivering hope and life to the surface.

— Elisha Greeley Smith, Media and Outreach Associate, Center for Rural Affairs, elishas@cfra.org.