Outside the car, cornstalks lie lifeless on an open field.
The sun struggles under a heavy cloud.
A brown sign, "American Gothic House"
grows from the distance.
Dad hesitates then darts us up the lonely road.
The house hangs on a grassy lawn
just as it hangs in the painting.
A farmer stands with his daughter,
worn and tired under the sun.
Yet the pitchfork holds them together.
He grips it firmly,
holding on to the work that must be done.
Now we put the costumes on:
An old floral dress,
half a pair of overalls,
and a rusty pitchfork;
Dad takes it,
grasping onto his own worries,
that soon fade into laughter,
as a fluffy white cat perches in a tree,
watching as a bluebird's wings reflect the emerging sun.
Hannah Fleming
For months, "A Stop at the American Gothic House" was featured
on the website of the American Gothic House!