Ode to the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center

To the Editor:

Allamakee County, Lansing, Iowa;
Really rural, some say “way out there.”
“Life at seven miles an hour,”
The speed of the water that flows by us.

I wandered into this place 38 years ago.
Falling in love with “The Driftless Area” was easy,
Staying here and loving what surrounds me, easier still.
The people make a place, the place makes the people.

Some time ago the County Court House was in Lansing.
Rumor has it, a crowd from Waukon came and stole it away.
Sounds like an old wives tale;
Hard feelings seem to linger still.

Politics are so divisive today on the national stage;
Also here at home.
To be progressive can be problematic,
Unsettling and not understandable.

In Lansing an Educational Center is being developed.
It will promote “The Driftless Area”;
Local history, our people, geology, archeology, art;
All that Allamakee has to offer.

Our Board of Supervisors initially supported this project;
Their intentions have changed, their support becoming weak.
Instead of a paved road greeting our visitors at the front entrance,
It will be framed through dust and gravel.

I hope the attitude of my neighbors can shine through this negativity.
Creating a center that reflects our diverse abundance
Requires support and  optimism
To be united, not divided in putting our best foot forward;
Showing all, the Allamakee County I know and love.

Bruce Carlson
Lansing