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Saturday, June 20, 2009

Being West Virginia

How to be new, but still old
how to be old but not old-fashioned
how to honor our roots
but not cut off new growth
or kill the transplants

How to affirm our independence
without locking doors
and hold onto our values
without harsh judgment
or religious extremes

How to protect our land and its treasures
and nurture the growth that can come
from what we hold in trust:
our resources--natural,
human, artistic and wild

How to be West Virginia
beholden to no landlords
proud of our heritage
strong in our commitments
and good stewards of our home

Happy 146th birthday, West Virginia.

3 comments:

  1. How lovely.

    Happy Birthday, West Virginia. I thought you were gorgeous when I visited you last year and I bet you're ever more gorgeous now at 146 years of age.

    Jai

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy Birthday West Virginia, my West Virginia. Love the Poem!

    ReplyDelete
  3. GSue - great poem! I visited the WV State Museum yesterday on the first day it has been open in almost ten years. Great place with a lot of potential. Take a gander if you have time.

    ReplyDelete

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