Jim Tilley – Innisfree Poetry Journal

A Crumbling Town Celebrates

This community on the western shore of Lake Champlain,
one of too many that has seen better times. Along the main
drag, buildings in serious disrepair, more than a matter
of rotting wood and peeling paint. The most prominent
feature in town the small banners hanging near the tops
of telephone poles with headshots, mostly of men,
all the armed forces present and accounted for. I tear up
as I pass more and more, even beyond the town line,
thinking that these must be memorials to heroes lost
in action over the years, before I realize that they are likely
the lucky ones who escaped the fate of spending their
lives here, folks who could not afford college, could not
find meaningful jobs, whose only hope was to serve
their country in uniform—to be celebrated, not mourned.

Jim Tilley’s poetry is inspired by his love of the outdoors, particularly walks in the woods or along a lakeshore or seashore. He has published four full-length collections of poetry and a novel with Red Hen Press. His short memoir, The Elegant Solution, was published as a Ploughshares Solo. Five of his poems have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His most recent poetry collection, Ripples in the Fabric of the Universe: New & Selected Poems, was published in June 2024.

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